Local Hero Member Renewal & Enrollment
2019 ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN! 
CISA’s Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown® public awareness and marketing campaign was launched in 1999 and has since become the country’s longest running and most comprehensive “buy local” program for farm products. This year 265 farms and landscape/garden centers, 64 restaurants, 43 retailers, 24 institutions, and 16 specialty producers have joined together to raise awareness and sales of locally grown farm products.
The Local Hero campaign uses a wide array of paid advertising (print, radio, and web) and public relations (press releases, events and appearances) to engage the public and increase support for local farmers. And it works!
Enroll online, and learn more about the benefits of membership, by clicking on the links at the right-hand side of this page. Contact Devon Whitney-Deal at 413-665-7100 x22 to learn more about the Local Hero program.
“I tell other farmers all the time that being a CISA member is the most well spent advertising money. This organization has done more to create a local market than anything else you could be a part of”
Little Brook Farm
“CISA is well worth the investment and plays an important advocacy role for agriculture in the Valley”
Chestnut Mountain Tree Farm
Local Hero = Success
A 2017 survey of Local Hero farmers found that:
- 39.85% of participating farms reported net income increases from agriculture over the last year.
- 93.07% of respondents were satisfied with the Local Hero membership program.
Our most recent market research found that:
- Over 78% of residents of Franklin and Hampshire counties and 52% of Hampden county residents recognize the Local Hero logo.
- People who recognize the logo are twice as likely to shop at their local farm stand or farmers’ market or to choose local product at their grocery store.
Read our 2006 Market Research Report [pdf]