What is local?

So if I/we are going to eat local for a year, I first have to figure out what local means? 50 miles? 250 miles? My husband recently bought a share of a cow in order to get a gallon of unpasturized, raw milk a week - good for making yogurt and cheese I am told. But the cow lives in Lubbock, Texas - 385 miles away. Does that count as local?

There are many words used to describe a local area: bioregional, foodshed, watershed, the metropoloitan area, "northern new mexico."

La Montanita's foodshed project/Beneficial Foods Cooperative is bringing food from as far away as Canon City, CO - 300 miles. Should I use that definition? How about defining it by the furthest away farm that shows up at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market? Or, like Kingsolver, should it be food only from those who I have direct access to - that I knock on their door and ask for an extra load of squash blossoms and goat cheese when I have visitors?

I imagine you can define local in California pretty narrowly and still find lots of food to eat all year. Do I get to stretch those boundaries in the desert where farms are fewer and farther between? What is feasible here. I guess this is my experiment so I get to decided. But I'll need to do some more research first.

The average plate of food these days travels 1500 miles. If I can get that down to 1/4 (about 300 miles) - that might be a good place to start. But, traveling to Pueblo, CO to pick up kale and potatoes doesn't sound feasible either. Obviously more research is needed.

I'll have to return to this question later as I have to go to work now.

CS