Review: LocalHarvest.org is a site for sore eyes

Now here is a Web page that a few news sites could learn a lesson from. LocalHarvest.org is, according to its "About Us" page, "America's #1 organic and local foods website." The site promotes small farmers creating a "nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources." 

Although this site does a great job promoting local food sources and expanding the selling power of small growers, some might argue that other sites do the same thing just as well. What's so special about this site, they might ask. Well, to answer that question and to get back to my point of how some news sites could learn a thing or two from LocalHarvest.org, I will show you a quick screenshot of the homepage:

Now let's take a closer look:

That is an interactive map of all the small farms, farmers markets, restaurants, grocery stores and others that have registered with the site. You can click on the map to get a closer look, or you can search by name/description/product or by zip, city or state. 

Furthermore, the site hosts forums, issues a newsletter, hosts blogs and touts a massive photo gallery with pictures from around the United States. 

Additionally, the site has a store where growers from around the nation can come to sell their products through an electronic supermarket.  Eggs, herbs and even soaps can be bought directly from the producers via the Web site. 

What LocalHarvest.org does that makes it stand above the rest is it connects like-minded individuals, whom otherwise never would have met, through an interactive social-networking site geared toward local food enthusiasts. They can meet and network amongst one another to help expand the demand and breadth of local foods and products. 

One criticism, though: There is an enormous maw of nothingness at the bottom of every page. It is noticeable, especially when you scroll down the screen and are suddenly staring a completely blank page. Also, there are some small grammatical errors on the site. Most people would not recognize the errors, but as a journalist I pick up on them. 

There are no videos, either, which I was disappointed to see. It certainly would have added another aspect to the site. Pictures can only do so much. A few videos thrown into the "Photos" section (and a name change from "Photos" to "Photos and Videos") and there could be a whole new angle from which to see farmers markets and small farms from. 

The site is a great find, and it is recommended for anyone interested in local products and connecting with others around the nation.