August with the FARMWISE Indiana Team
Each month we ask our Team to share a few highlights of their regional food system work from their perspective. It’s hard to capture all of the meetings, Connections, farm visits, and meaningful conversations into one blog post, but a few highlights from August are below!
Pete processing at Kalamazoo Food Hub
Pete Vissar, SE Indiana Value Chain Professional
August kept Pete on the move, from Michigan to the southern Indiana communities he serves, with something worth sharing at every stop.
Pete was among 28 food systems professionals who traveled to the Kalamazoo Valley Food Hub in Michigan for a day organized by Rachel Brandenburg at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. The visit covered food hub development, aggregation models, local food distribution, and the equipment that makes it all work. One detail that stuck with Pete was learning that the ground the food hub sits on was once a brownfield site. Seeing what was once considered wasted land transformed into a thriving economic asset supporting local food businesses, producers, and the surrounding community was a good reminder of what is possible when vision meets investment.
Back in Indiana, Pete hosted a Connections meeting at Lisa's Farmhouse Market in Salem, a warm and welcoming spot that sells locally raised beef, pork, and chicken alongside baked goods made in house by Lisa herself. It is exactly the kind of place that makes local food feel personal, and it set a great tone for the conversations that followed.
From there Pete made his way to Lost River Co-op in Paoli for another Connections meeting, where he spent time with community organizations doing meaningful work to provide area residents with fresh produce, hands-on cooking education, and additional support for those in need. The energy and commitment in that room was hard to miss.
Pete wrapped up the month at the Giesting Field Day hosted by Giesting Farms in the Batesville area, a day focused on what producers are seeing and doing in the field. The event featured a panel of experts covering nature-based approaches to fertility and plant health, the shared goals of human and soil health, a new alternative bio-herbicide, grain milling practices that preserve germ cells, and GPS-guided weeding and foliar equipment that reduce the need for chemical herbicides. It was a lot to take in, in the best possible way.
August was a month that reminded Pete why this work matters. The food system is made up of a lot of moving parts, and the people driving those parts forward are doing it with real intention and care.
Processing vegetables at the Kalamazoo Food Hub
Becky Landes, NE Indiana Value Chain Professional
August was a full and meaningful month for Becky in Northeast Indiana.
The month opened on August 1st with Becky assisting the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network (NEILFN) in purchasing more than $1,500 worth of locally grown produce for the Pontiac Street Market's Pack to School event in Fort Wayne. That Saturday morning, the produce, supplemented by an additional farm purchase made by NEILFN, was packed into 375 bags distributed directly to children attending the event. It was a tangible example of how local food networks can come together to serve their communities in meaningful and immediate ways.
Later in the month, Becky hosted the FARMWISE Indiana Regional Wholesale Connect event in Winona Lake, bringing local farmers, food entrepreneurs, and institutional buyers together under one roof to share products and build relationships. The range of products on display that day reflected the depth and creativity of Northeast Indiana's food community. Attendees had the opportunity to sample and source maple syrup and maple cream, cream-top milk in flavored and unflavored varieties, butter, ghee, local eggs, and scratch-made pies including sugar cream, pumpkin, and chocolate chip. Also featured were plant-based ice cream in toffee crunch, chocolate, and vanilla flavors, allergen-free desserts, fresh sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, mini sweet peppers, and melons straight from the farm, raw milk cheeses in flavors such as garden herb, truffle, and chili pepper alongside more traditional varieties, and locally milled ancient grains including einkorn and spelt used in breads, crackers, granola, cookies, and pizza crusts.
Tour group at Tarquini Farms
Jen Musall, NW Indiana Value Chain Professional
August was stuffed with connections and community engagement for Jen across North Central Indiana.
The month began at an informative event in Vermillion County hosted by the Diverse Corn Belt Project and Purdue Extension. The gathering gave Jen the opportunity to connect with farmers who have grown their businesses in a variety of ways and to deepen her understanding of the unique needs and opportunities facing diverse farmers in the region.
Also in August, Jen facilitated a connection between two local food systems advocates who are now exploring what they can build together. Ryan Bolhuis of The Kitchen and Pavilion in Logansport and Alyson McIntyre-Reiger of Indiana Family, Career and Community Leaders of America are working to identify opportunities where local foods and Culinary Arts education can intersect, a collaboration worth watching.
Throughout the month, Jen remained mindful of the impact that historic storms and flooding have had on farmers and families across the state. The agricultural community has faced significant challenges this season, and the effects of those storms continue to ripple through local food systems.
The month closed with two major milestones for FARMWISE Indiana. The first Regional Wholesale Connect event, hosted by fellow Value Chain Professional Becky Landes in Winona Lake, gave Jen the opportunity to connect with farmers and producers from Northeast Indiana who are actively seeking wholesale opportunities across the state. The second event took place in Logansport, hosted by Jen herself, where farmers had the chance to meet and engage with a diverse group of wholesale buyers including school food service directors, food banks, a restaurant, and a food hub representative. Jen is already following up with the farmers, producers, and buyers who connected at both events to see how those relationships continue to grow.
Sirocco Ridge, goat kids
Robin Kitowski, Director of Producer Relations and Market Access
August was a productive month for Robin, whose work spanned producer visits, regional events, and new consulting partnerships across Southern Indiana.
Robin spent time visiting small ruminant and poultry producers throughout Southern Indiana, and the conversations that unfolded during those visits informed a report written for FARMWISE Indiana's partners at the Wallace Center on regenerative grazing practices in the region. From meat birds and laying hens to sheep flocks and value-added artisan goat products, the farmers Robin visited demonstrate a remarkable range of creative approaches to pasture profitability. FARMWISE Indiana extends its warmest thanks to everyone who participated for their generosity of time and willingness to share their experiences.
At the end of July, FARMWISE Indiana partnered with staff at the Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center(SIPAC) in Vincennes to host a Melon Tasting Day event. Growers, seed company representatives, technical service providers, and other attendees sampled and rated watermelons and other melon varieties, heard a presentation on Indiana's melon growing history and 2026 field trial notes, walked the melon trial ground, and toured the Purdue Food Safety Training Hub. Special thanks to Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie, Scott Monroe, and the SIPAC staff for sharing their time and expertise.
Robin also brings a new credential to her work this month as a member of the Indiana Food Business Consultants cohort, having completed the University of Wisconsin Food Finance Institute training earlier this summer. She and Rachel Brandenburg, Food Distribution Manager at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and coordinator of the Indiana Food Business Consultants program, recently teamed up to respond to a request from the owners of Bethel Farm Stop in Bloomington. Together they are helping the business identify goals and establish priority steps for growth at this farm goods and greenhouse operation. Bethel Farm Stop is set in a rural location just ten minutes outside of Bloomington, where it has become a beloved destination for area residents seeking local farm products, produce, baked goods, meats, and fresh locally roasted coffee from producers across South Central Indiana.
