Buying locally is just good for the area because it increases local employment (improves taxes and local infrastructure), reduces the chance of contamination (inherent in long distance transportation), allows local farmers to produce diverse crops (which improves their income and their soil) and the food tastes better.
Independent butcher shops, in this area of a half million people, are usually found in rural areas, not in the shopping hubs. The tricks that are played with meat can make you sick. Vacuum bags of pork ribs are injected with ozone to make the meat look fresh. Aged hams are cosmetically treated and re-offered as picnic hams. Nitrates are used to make meat look fresh. According to Michael Pollan, animals finished with grain are bad for you (omega-6/omega-3), where as the grass feed version of the same meat is health neutral to beneficial.
Then you can wash it all down with a Texas Hill Country wine,
Ever since I discovered Schultz's Weingarten in Austin and Fredricksburg on the Internet, I've wanted to visit. Speaking of which, no good butchers in Fredricksburg or New (Neu) Braunfels? Das ist ganz traurig.
Oh, and the people who already have the message could do us all some good, if they could whoop the message up a little.