Farmers ask Joie Schoonover, Director of Dining Services, Division of University Housing 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.

Sell Local: Growers and producers wanted!

If you are interested in selling local Wisconsin produce or value added products, please contact IFM today!

Value added producers that would like to be part of the IFM Local Foods Program can sign up with our registration form.

Selling local food factsheets, links, guides, and more

Selling directly to Institutions – download our factsheets!

• Institutional Buyers 101 Fact Sheet
• Marketing to Institutional Buyers 101 Fact Sheet
• A template letter for contacting food service directors

Don’t want to sell direct? Sell at a produce auction!

• Wisconsin auction information
• Map of Wisconsin auctions

Production questions?

• Resources from UW-Extension about production and pest management, recommended vegetable cultivars for Wisconsin, yield data, and more!
• University of Minnesota suggestions on cultivars
• U.S. Grade Standards

Packaging for institutional buyers

Grower's packaging guide

Food Safety – what you need to know

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.

• Primer on food safety from the National Good Food Network
• 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
• Audit Verification Checklist for GAP and GHP for the USDA
• Analysis and recommendations about the state of food safety in Wisconsin from DATCP and Family Farmed

Insurance information

• Fact sheet on Agri-lite
• FSA Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
• Food product liability insurance tips from the Center for Profitable Agriculture at UT-Extension

Business development help

• Ag Innovation Center page for agricultural entrepreneurs
• Wisconsin Small Business Development Center offers resources and training for new and existing small businesses
• FSA loans

Crop budgets and yield data

• Crop budgets from the UW Center for Dairy Profitability for many kinds of fruit and vegetable crops
• Yield data for fresh market vegetables

Marketing ideas

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