FARMWISE Indiana: Organizational Update

Part of the growing FARMWISE Indiana Team

After nearly two years housed at Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI), FARMWISE Indiana is taking the next step to ensure that locally produced food is accessible to more Hoosiers. 

Growing Forward

FARMWISE Indiana Inc is pleased to announce they are launching a standalone nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in service to the farmers, food producers, buyers, and middle of supply chain businesses throughout Indiana. 

While our program officially launched in July 2024, the new nonprofit officially begins on April 1 and will continue to serve farmers, food producers and buyers at schools, universities, and hospitals across the state. We are deeply appreciative of our time at Indiana University working within the Environmental Resilience Institute and look forward to our future growth working with Hoosier farmers.

Since we began, the FARMWISE Indiana team has fostered relationships with more than 2,200 stakeholders, attended and hosted more than 1,200 meetings, and made more than 300 introductions between buyers and sellers of local food. 

FARMWISE Indiana has spurred 247 businesses to work on their values-based procurement plans and has helped shift $75,000 to local farms. 

In addition, FARMWISE Indiana is now able to quantify the direct farm impact of the institutions purchasing locally grown foods. For example, IU Dining in Bloomington spent more than $4 million buying food from Hoosier businesses, including $1.4 million from Indiana farms, during the 2024-25 academic year. 

  As a nonprofit with funding from Builders’ Vision, FARMWISE Indiana Inc. will continue to build on its early momentum and offer consulting services for farmers and food producers who are ready to sell wholesale but need guidance. 

"In the second phase of FARMWISE Indiana, we will ensure suppliers like farmers and food businesses have the preparation they need to participate in wholesale markets," Said FARMWISE Indiana Executive Director Jodee Smith, who is leading the new nonprofit.  "We want to see a diverse food supply coming from local farms. We will work with buyers to find and source local food from the farmers, food hubs, and distributors that sell it. We will support the middle of supply chain businesses that are critical to the coordination, processing, movement, and storage of regional foods. Our ability to link businesses, provide B2B networking support, and technical assistance for farmers is a key part of Indiana’s reliance on Hoosier grown and raised foods."

Please visit our new website, FarmwiseIndiana.org, where you can learn more about our work, opportunities, and news within the Indiana food system. You can also connect with a Value Chain Professional in your area.

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