Institutional Food Market Coalition

Farmers ask Joie Schoonover, a food service director at UW-Madison, questions about how institutions purchase local food during the IFM Meeting "Grow and Sell Produce for Large Volume Wisconsin Buyers" in February, 2010.

Wisconsin Growers

Growers Wanted

Selling to institutions is a great new opportunity for Wisconsin growers. Do you have surplus product that you typically plow under? Are you a CSA farmer with unsold shares? Field corn farmers can make extra money by adding in a half acre of sweet corn, and tobacco farmers may already have the equipment they need for cabbage.

If you are interested in selling, please contact IFM today!

Resources

Below are some great resources for Wisconsin growers. Look for more coming soon!

Auctions

See our page about auctions and check out this map of auctions in Wisconsin. Be sure to check out the Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction site as well.

Budgets
  • The UW Center for Dairy Profitability has crop budgets for lots of fruit and vegetable crops.
  • Yield data for fresh market vegetables
Business Development
Food Safety

Some institutions and distributors require farmers to have certifications like Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and some don't, but either way its important to understand the key points of a food safety plan. At the federal level, legislation is changing about who may be required to have certain certifications. Several groups are asking lawmakers to consider making the rules relevant to farm size.

A primer on food safety from the National Good Food Network.

A food safety plan template from the University of Minnesota Extension and the University of Minnesota Agricultural Safety and Health Program.

On-farm Food Safety: Guide to Good Agricultural Practices from the Iowa State University Extension.

USDA Audit Verification Checklist for GAP and GHP

Insurance
Packing
Production

UW-Extension has resources for production and pest management, recommended vegetable cultivars for Wisconsin, yield data, and more!

View University of Minnesota suggestions on cultivars.

Find U.S. Grade Standards.

Selling Directly to Institutions

Some institutions will buy directly from farmers. As you may know, distribution is time consuming, so we encourage growers to consider all the ways to sell to the institutional market.

Other Resources

The Wisconsin Local Food Marketing Guide contains information about selling to many kinds of markets, including the institutional market.