By NANCY VORIS
Indiana Correspondent

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Farmers’ markets are on the rise and consumer interest in locally grown food is at an all-time high. So, how does a farmer cash in on all the hoopla?

A new program designed for aspiring and traditional farmers hopes to provide information and ideas to keep the cash box ringing at Hoosier farmers’ markets next summer.

“This five-part series is more about cultivating a new ‘crop’ of successful market vendors, expanding opportunities and meeting the needs of today’s consumer, than about how to produce any particular kind of fruit, vegetable or livestock,” said Roy Ballard, Purdue University extension educator and program coordinator. “There’s been a huge increase in interest in local foods.”

And the public will pay more for those foods. Ballard said a recent survey shows 71 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for their food if it comes from a local source. Their motivation to buy local includes freshness, diversification of sources and knowing where their food came from and how it was produced.

“In some cases, consumers just wanted to put a name with the food they eat,” he said.

The series is the first program designed to improve the success and profitability of farmers’ market vendors as they serve their clientele, Ballard said. It gives an overview of how to generate income by growing fruit, vegetables and flowers, as well as producing meat, eggs, dairy products and a variety of value-added processed products for selling locally.

“Growing for the Market” sessions will be taught by a team of extension field staff, campus specialists, agency staff and market masters, as well as experienced growers and vendors who range in scale, cropping mix, marketing strategies and growing methods.
“This mix of speakers will provide participants with diverse perspectives, tips, practical know-how information, as well as the opportunity to network and learn from fellow gardeners, farmers, farm market managers and entrepreneurs,” Ballard said.

The program will be offered via Interactive Adobe Connect and be available at 15 extension offices in the following counties: Bartholomew, Blackford, Clark, Decatur, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Jennings, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, Monroe, Tipton and Warrick. A session also will be held in Knox County, at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center.

Sessions will begin at 6:30-9:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 and continue for five consecutive Thursday evenings at the same time. Registration is $50, which includes reference materials and refreshments, and is due by Jan. 5. Space is limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis at each site.

Brochure and registration information are available online at www.extension .purdue.edu/Hancock/09GrowingFor MarketBrochure.pdf or by contacting Ballard at 317-462-1113 or e-mailing rballard@purdue.edu

Participants should register at the site where they plan to attend. “Growing for the Market” is sponsored by Purdue extension, Hancock Harvest Council of Central Indiana, USDA’s North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

December 31, 2008