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| Hello friend,
For years I have worked with farmers who grow some of the healthiest foods for human consumption. These farmers patiently attend farmers markets and coordinate CSA boxes to bring the freshest seasonal foods to their communities. They offer vegetables, cheeses, eggs, meats, poultry, fermented foods, fruits, herbs, fungi, and other nourishing products while also sharing the knowledge needed to prepare and enjoy them at home. Yet many farmers have struggled with low consumer engagement while communities continue to face challenges accessing and using healthy foods. It has long seemed these two issues needed a better connection. Food is Medicine is emerging as one possible solution. The movement works to integrate healthy food into the prevention and treatment of diet-related conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Nutrition interventions are increasingly being prescribed to help patients better manage chronic conditions, and Medicaid and insurance programs are beginning to support healthy food access through provider-led programs. For local farmers, however, challenges remain. Many prescribed nutrition programs are highly structured and difficult for local food systems to integrate into at scale. As a result, local food often remains limited to community-based programs like Double Up Food Bucks at farmers markets or healthy food boxes connected to cooking and nutrition education. Funding for these efforts is often temporary and disconnected from long-term clinical care. Still, these smaller programs have sparked tremendous interest among farmers who want to play a role in improving the health of their neighbors. At FARMWISE Indiana, we work to prepare farmers and middle-of-supply-chain partners such as food hubs and aggregators for emerging wholesale opportunities. Food is Medicine may become one of those opportunities in the near future. Already, Indiana has established ambitious goals to expand lifestyle medicine training and certification across Indiana’s rural healthcare workforce. A feasibility study exploring how locally grown food can support rural nutrition interventions is also planned for this fall. I remain hopeful that Hoosier farmers and eaters will continue to recognize the powerful connection between farm, food, and health. We may be on the cusp of creating true win-win-win outcomes where farmers, communities, and healthcare systems all benefit through healthier food choices and lower healthcare costs. Food at home, food at school, food at work- all sourced from farmers who have patiently waited for the opportunity to help feed and heal their communities. |
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| | | | Laura Stoltz: Southwest Indiana
Schools across southern Indiana are creating impactful opportunities for students to connect with agriculture and local food through school gardens, local meal programs, and partnerships with school ag departments. Throughout May, FARMWISE Indiana continued leading the IN Grown for Schools Southern Region Action Team assessments while also convening networking events that connected schools, farmers, food co-ops, senior meal programs, and wholesale buyers around new opportunities for local food. Farm field days, Connections meetings, and regional partnerships highlighted the growing momentum to strengthen community food access while expanding markets for Indiana producers. Read more about Laura’s month here. |
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| | | Jen Musall: Northwest Indiana
May brought opportunities to connect with buyers, suppliers, middle-of-supply-chain partners, and support organizations through FARMWISE Connections meetings held across Carroll, Benton, Tipton, Warren, and Marshall Counties. This month also included connecting a Tippecanoe County produce farmer with Purdue’s Safe Produce team and Produce Safety Alliance training resources to support plans for expanding into wholesale markets and improving wash-pack operations. Additional visits to Unity Gardens in South Bend and university farms across Indiana highlighted growing interest in food access, community wellness, and increasing local foods on local plates through education and institutional partnerships. Read more about Jen’s month here. |
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| | | Becky Landes: Northeast Indiana
May was filled with facilitating connections between producers, buyers, and businesses working to expand into broader wholesale markets across northeast Indiana. Highlights included visiting an artisan grain mill producing organic grain products for wholesale markets, touring Hawkins Family Farm’s new RSFI-funded wash-pack facility, and helping connect an Amish dairy bottler with a corporate dining food service team through product tastings and sales opportunities. Additional efforts included guiding Pontiac Street Market managers through the produce auction process, supporting locally sourced school meal partnerships at Warsaw Community Schools, and fostering mentorship connections between experienced and emerging farmers as they scale their operations. Read about Becky’s month here. |
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| | | Pete Vissar: Southeast Indiana
May was filled with connection meetings, farmer visits, and helping connect people with resources and opportunities throughout southeastern Indiana. This month also included time with the Food and Growers Association during a potluck hosted at Green Acres Farm, where regenerative agriculture practices and pasture-raised turkey research highlighted innovative work happening in the region. Visits to several local farm stores featuring produce, meats, mushrooms, kombucha, honey-based drinks, and other locally made products showcased the continued growth and innovation reshaping southeast Indiana’s local food system. Read more about Pete’s month here. |
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| | | Robin Kitowski: Director of Producer Relations and Market Access
This month, members of the FARMWISE Indiana team visited Beneker Family Farms near Brookville, a 300-acre generational farm that has diversified from cattle and pork production into sheep while expanding a farm store featuring more than 250 local products. Beneker Farms recently broke ground on a new 10,000-square-foot multiuse facility supported through a USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant that will include a regional food hub, kitchen incubator, expanded retail space, and event venue to support future food businesses and regional growth. Travel throughout southcentral and southeastern Indiana also highlighted the impact of recent heavy rains, with standing water in fields and overflowing creeks after some areas received up to six inches of rainfall. Read more about Robin’s month here. |
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Jen Musall- NW Indiana Connection Dates 06/02: Jen Musall & Becky Landes: St. Joseph County, Caffeine & Cream in Granger 1-3pm 06/11: Jen Musall: Parke County, The 1880 Mustard Seed in Rockville 1-3pm 06/16: Jen Musall, Becky Landes & Robin Kitowski: Delaware County, Cammack Station in Muncie 2-4pm 06/18: Jen Musall & Robin Kitowski: Tippecanoe County, Sacred Grounds Reclaimed in Lafayette 9:30-11am
Becky Landes- NE Indiana Connection Dates 06/04: Becky Landes: Wabash County, Modoc's Market in Wabash 1:30-3:30pm 06/08: Becky Landes and Robin Kitowski: Madison County, Falls Perk Coffee House in Pendleton 4:30-6:30pm 06/08: Becky Landes: DeKalb County, 9th Street Brew Coffee House in Auburn 3-5pm 06/23: Jay County, Bizy Dips Bakery and Coffee Shop in Portland 12:30-2pm
SW Indiana Connection Dates None at this time
Pete Vissar- SE Indiana Connection Dates 06/04: Pete Vissar: Shelby County, The Book Mark in Shelbyville 2-4pm 06/09: Pete Vissar: Scott County, Java Station 56 in Scottsburg 10-12pm 06/11: Pete Vissar: Union County, Kehila Coffee in Liberty 2-4pm 06/17: Pete Vissar: Jackson County, Moxie Coffee Company in Seymour 2-4pm
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| | See real time news from FARMWISE Indiana and get upcoming event updates- follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and our new FARMWISE Indiana LinkedIN page. |
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| | | Food System Issues
Value Chain Professionals sit at the intersection of agriculture, business, community, and human connection. The work requires far more than helping move food from farms to buyers. It takes trust, listening, strategy, persistence, and a deep commitment to serving people and communities. |
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| | | Wholesale Markets
FARMWISE Indiana is proud to lead efforts in southern Indiana as the Regional Lead for farm to school. Read more about the work we are doing with organizational partners to connect farmers to the meals our school communities eat. |
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| | | Farm Food Products
At Shoals Community Schools, agriculture education is immersive and integrated. This ecosystem of garden produce, livestock, students as caretakers, cafeteria and culinary class involvement, and not to mention the welding shop class providing equipment pieces, exposes all grade levels to the origin of food. |
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| FARMWISE Indiana is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that strengthens Indiana’s food economy by equipping farmers, buyers, and supply chain partners with the connections, knowledge, and coordination needed to expand access to locally grown food across the state. |
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