Indiana's farmers need support to connect with larger, regional buyers. The FARMWISE Indiana team creates supply chain connections that lead to increased sales and more local food on our plates.
The goals of FARMWISE Indiana are three-fold:
Connect with a Value Chain Professional to navigate your path and participation in regional food systems for Indiana.
Elissa conducts data collection and analysis alongside other research activities to support FARMWISE Indiana and other projects to build a more resilient food system throughout Indiana. She has been involved in food systems research since 2020, working in the realm of food security, access, and assessment + evaluation of food system landscapes.
Email: ebooras@iu.edu
Rachel is a Food Distribution Manger representing the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. She works statewide to bring more local food to Indiana plates, building strong and resilient food market channels through partnerships and support.
Email: RBrandenburg@isda.IN.gov
Joseph works with producers, buyers, and distributors to enhance product availability through the Fischer Farms’ distribution network. The Fischer Family has farmed in Indiana for 150+ years and has been selling directly to buyers since 2002. Joseph collaborates with other coordinators to strengthen the food system to make an impact on the environment, economies, and food quality in our communities.
Email: joseph@ffnatural.com
Reed envisions a future where all Hoosiers have access to healthy, local, earth-friendly food; and Hoosier farmers and farmworkers earn robust, reliable compensation for their hard work. To this end, he works to connect producers to values-aligned partners throughout the supply chain, from processors and distributors to institutional purchasers, focusing on Southeast Indiana and the I-65 corridor.
Email: mhepburn@iu.edu
Anna is the Value Chain Coordinator for Indiana Grown for Schools representing the Indiana Department of Health. She works statewide to support producers interested in entering the school food market and guide food service directors who would like to serve more local fresh products in their meal program.
Email: aholloway1@health.in.gov
Audrey is based in Bloomington, where she works to connect institutional buyers to producers throughout the Uplands region of Indiana. She previously worked at Teter Organic Farm in Noblesville and now helps farmers and buyers navigate solutions to bring local food to local plates.
Email: audkaul@iu.edu
Serving St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties, Greg develops and supports relationships between Indiana food producers and institutional buyers. Having grown up in South Bend, he promoted the region’s local food system while starting the Purple Porch Co-op. Greg now helps farmers be successful and makes local food accessible through FARMWISE Indiana.
Email: grkoehle@iu.edu
Jen is based in Logansport where she is connecting farmers, food producers, and institutional buyers along U.S. 31 and the Hoosier Heartland corridor in north central Indiana. After more than 20 years in manufacturing, she applies her continual improvement, logistics, and complex systems knowledge to build the regional food systems alongside the FARMWISE Indiana team.
Email: jenmusal@iu.edu
Pam Rieke has been involved in Value Chain Coordination work since 2021. She works in approximately 12 counties in Southeast Indiana to connect farmers with market channels and other resources necessary to build a viable farm business. Pam’s goal is a more robust Indiana local food system and to redirect purchasing dollars to directly support Hoosier farms.
Email: pamelarieke@gmail.com
Jodee has led value chain work for Indiana since 2018. She works statewide to connect Indiana farmers and food businesses in regions throughout the state. A more robust and reliable food supply chain will enable wholesale buyers, such as schools, restaurants, and universities, to redirect purchasing dollars that directly support Hoosier farms.
Email: ellett@iu.edu
Based in Evansville and serving the southwest region of the state, Laura focuses on connecting institutional wholesale buyers to Hoosier food producers to bring local food to local plates through FARMWISE Indiana. Her experience in school nutrition lends itself to navigating complexities between values-based, institutional food purchasers and Indiana grown producers.
Email: lastoltz@iu.edu
Heather is a statewide value chain coordinator with over 15 years of experience educating consumers on how their food gets to their tables and working with farmers on how best to share their farm and small business stories. She is devoted to bringing more Indiana food to all, from our most vulnerable populations to Hoosier college students.
Email: Heather@FFNatural.com
Institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and senior centers, play a key role in the dietary choices of some of Indiana’s most vulnerable populations. Oftentimes, these institutions make food purchases from a “lowest cost” mindset, which favors ultra-processed foods sold by large-scale distributors. These purchase decisions can have a negative impact on the diets of children, elderly, and others, as well as the bottom line of farmers and the health of the environment.
Working with buyers, suppliers, distributors, and agencies, the FARMWISE Indiana team is developing food procurement frameworks that prioritize:
FARMWISE Indiana is strengthening the ties between Indiana farmers and institutional and wholesale buyers to grow regional food networks, improve institutional food quality, and support local economies.
75%share of food distribution captured by two U.S. companies
$522Mamount of food purchased by just 200 food service directors in Indiana
45%share of institutional food service managed by three companies nationwide
FARMWISE Indiana's value chain professionals (VCPs) serve as a central point of contact for food system stakeholders in the regions throughout the state. Working with both food suppliers (farmers and food businesses) and buyers (chefs, food distributors), they lay the foundation for long-term business relationships critical to local and rural economies.
The FARMWISE Indiana project is funded by a grant from Builders’ Initiative and has many partners in the state including the State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), State Department of Health (IDOH), State Department of Education (IDOE), Purdue Extension, Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education (SARE) through the USDA, Northwest Indiana Food Council, Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, Food and Growers Association, Urban Seeds, Fischer Farms LLC, Partners in Food and Farming (PIFF).
