So is David Nowacoski, a chicken and pig farmer here in East Smithfield, Pennsylvania.

Last month, Nowacoski started a service that delivers locally produced meats, cheeses and vegetables across three counties in northern Pennsylvania. His start-up collects food from far-flung farms and transports it weekly to residents who place their orders online.  

We recently spent the day with Nowacoski and his wife, Marla, traveling about 92 miles in the family minivan, picking up and dropping off food from three farms, one cheese room, one tavern and a bakery.

Even in this rural patch of natural gas fields and deer hunting grounds, where the closest Whole Foods is more than 100 miles away, Amazon’s influence is deeply felt. Nowacoski says Amazon and other big retailers have conditioned consumers to expect a higher level of convenience.

“This is where society is going, and we have to figure out how the small farm plays a role in it,” he says.

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