A recent article in Wallaces Farmer highlighted a new tool called MarketMaker, dedicated to connecting family shoppers with family farmers. Consumers who are interested in finding fresh local products can visit www.agmrc.org and click the MarketMaker link. The program is already available in 17 states and is expecting to add more soon.
MarketMaker allows farmers the opportunity to easily find outlets like farmers markets and grocery stores where they can sell their food products, while allowing family shoppers to search for restaurants, vineyards, dairies, pick-your-own produce locations and more. My own search quickly led me to Hansen Dairy of Hudson, Iowa – a fun stop that I discovered last June while traveling with the Ag-Urban Leadership Initiative. In fact, I enjoyed that stop so much that I’m planning a return visit there in May with my son’s Boy Scout pack.
Another one of my favorite activities is attending flower auctions at the Cedar Valley Produce Auction in Elma, Iowa. While traveling there, I enjoy stopping at many of the greenhouses in Floyd, Mitchell and Howard Counties. It’s always a bonus if I pass by an Amish or Mennonite bakery and score a loaf of home-made bread along the way.
Traveling Iowa’s countryside can be a fun – and tasty – adventure for the whole family. MarketMaker can help by either allowing you to register your own business or by connecting you with fresh products in other areas. Click here for the full article.