Olivia Parry, IFM Coordinator, at Wisconsin Association of Public Purchasers Vendor Expo, September 2008.

About IFM

The Institutional Food Market Coalition (IFM) was established in 2006 in an effort to achieve two goals¹:

• Expand market opportunities for Dane County and regional growers, and
• Connect large volume institutional buyers, such as hospitals, universities, nursing homes, prisons, office parks and large businesses with local and organically grown Wisconsin product.

IFM has been working in partnership with WI produce auctions since 2006, in particular Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction, to help support and expand the auction model to better serve large volume institutional buyers.

Why Produce Auctions?

Thus far, IFM has found the auction model to be successful for buyers for a number of reasons, including:

• Large volume buyers have price limitations and auctions offer competitive wholesale pricing
• Auctions have large volumes of diverse products available at one sales outlet because they aggregate the product of up to 200 growers
• Institutions can receive an additional one or two deliveries a week, maximum, and the auctions deliver
• Auctions have several types of purchasing programs and can accommodate most institutional purchasing and billing cycle needs. Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction provides a pre-priced program for institutions that require set-pricing.
• Auctions use USDA grade standards
• Auctions sell both local and organic product
• Auctions have $2,000,000 in liability coverage which is required by many WI institutions
• Auctions are supported by dedicated UW-Extension Agricultural Agents, and provide ongoing training and support in food safety, product handling, and other program areas
• Auctions provide refrigerated delivery
• Auctions provide new market opportunities for local growers
• Auctions provide a means to sell surplus product

IFM conducts outreach and education to identify new institutional buyers interested in sourcing large volumes of local fruit and produce. As part of this effort, IFM works with Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction and other WI produce auctions to help support and develop the infrastructure and programming necessary for meeting the needs of institutional customers. IFM activities also include the following:

April 2007
September 2007
June 2008

Each year, IFM hosts two field trips to Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction in Montello, WI. The field trips offer a great opportunity for institutional buyers to see, smell, and learn about produce auctions and how they work. Participants also learn about different purchasing programs, get a chance to meet the local farmers, hear from auction management, talk to board members and eat a hot home-made lunch. During the trip we also set time set aside for buyers to ask questions and share ideas. Please contact Olivia Parry at parry@co.dane.wi.us if you would like to be put on the invitation list.

Institutional buyers participate in a round table discussion at IFM’s 2008 Annual Fall Meeting.

IFM hosts an annual meeting for large volume buyers interested in learning more about sourcing locally, networking and learning from IFM and each other about ways to enhance their local purchasing goals. IFM’s next meeting is Nov. 3, 2008.

In response to very high institutional demand, IFM will be conducting outreach to Dane County producers interested in selling significant quantities of wholesale fruit and produce at beginning in late 2008 and early 2009. If you are interested, please contact Olivia Parry as soon as possible at 608-266-4270, or parry@co.dane.wi.us for further information. If you are outside of Dane County, please contact the nearest produce auction or UW Extension office, to find out how to participate.

The IFM Coalition is made up of numerous state and local government entities, food system organization representatives, Dane County staff, the IFM Advisory Committee, UW Extension, several WI produce auctions and other interested stakeholders – all of whom are committed to increasing the sales and consumption of locally grown food, and the expansion of the local food economy.

Agricultural Innovation Center [http://www.uwex.edu/ces/agmarkets/aic/]
Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction
Blue Planet Partners [http://www.blueplanetpartners.org/]
Dane County Food Council [http://www.countyofdane.com/foodcouncil/]
Dane County Planning and Development Department [http://www.countyofdane.com/plandev/]
Fennimore Produce Auction [http://www.timslackauctionrealty.com/auction-2007-0-00.html]
GreenLeaf Market [http://www.greenleafmarket.com/]
Growers Produce Auction
REAP Food Group [http://www.reapfoodgroup.org/]
University of Wisconsin Extension, Dane County [http://dane.uwex.edu/]
University of Wisconsin Extension, Marquette County [http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/marquette/]
University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems [http://www.cias.wisc.edu/]
University of Wisconsin System Office of Procurement [http://wwwnew.uwsa.edu/proc/]
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection [http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/]
Wisconsin Department of Corrections [http://www.wi-doc.com/]

Lee Cunningham, UW Extension, Dane County
Lois Federman, DATCP
Heather Hilleren, Greenleaf Market
Anne Pfeiffer, Ag Innovation Center
Keith Vandervelde, UW Extension, Marquette County
Mary Jean Reading, Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction
Doug Wubben, REAP Food Group

Olivia Parry, IFM Coordinator
Matthew Robertson, IFM Marketing Associate
Sarah Elliot – Intern
Kristy SeBlonka – Intern

For more information about IFM, please contact:

Olivia Parry, IFM Coordinator
Dane County Planning & Development Dept
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, room 362
Madison, WI 53709
608-266-4270
Parry@co.dane.wi.us

Matthew Robertson
IFM Marketing Associate
Dane County Planning & Development
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Madison, WI 53703-3342
608-266-6389
Robertson@co.dane.wi.us