MarketReady Indiana Training
Farmers and small-business owners interested in selling their food products can learn ways to make their businesses safe and profitable at workshops to be given across the state.
MarketReady Indiana will be offered at 11 locations and feature sessions on each stage of food marketing, including quality assurance, pricing, insurance, and relationship building.
Target audiences include traditional farmers seeking to diversify their crop and livestock markets, small and beginning farmers, owners of small businesses such as bakeries or dairies, and producers of value added products such as flour, jellies, jams or salsa seeking to expand their marketing options.
"This workshop is all about the five Ps - people, product, place, promotion and plan," said Roy Ballard, Purdue Extension educator in Hancock County. "It will make farmers and small-business owners better able to compete in food markets by familiarizing themselves with business practices, quality and similar issues that are expectations of the modern marketplace. We want to allow vendors to successfully access institutional, restaurant and wholesale markets."
Session structure will include panel discussions with representatives from restaurants and wholesale buying institutions, as well as presentations by county Extension educators.
Registration costs $60 per person, and $30 per person for each additional member of a family or farm group. Registration forms can be downloaded here and mailed to the Monroe County Extension Office, 3400 S. Walnut St., Bloomington, IN 47401, or participants can call their county Extension office to register.
For more information, contact Roy Ballard at 317-462-1113 or rballard@purdue.edu
Host sites and dates include:
Lake County
Monday, October 29
9am-3pm, Central time
Contact: Kris Parker
Telephone: (219) 465-3555
Extension Office
880 E. 99th Ct., Suite A
Crown Point, IN 46307
Elkhart County
Wednesday, November 28
9am-3pm
Contact: Jeff Burbrink
Telephone: 574-533-0554
Extension Office
Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds
17746 County Road 34 Ste E
Goshen IN 46528-6898
Allen County
Thursday, November 29
Contact: Gonzalee Martin
Telephone: 260-481-6826
Extension Office
4001 Crescent Avenue
Fort Wayne, IN 46815-4590
Cass/Carroll/Howard Counties
Monday, November 19
9am-3pm
Contact: Tamara Ogle
Telephone: 574-753-7750
Deer Creek Community Center 4583 N SR 29
Camden, IN 46917
Delaware County
Friday, November 30
9am-3pm
Contact: Michael O’Donnell
Telephone: 765-747-7732
Patterson Ballroom
Ivy Tech, Patterson Building
108 S. Walnut
Muncie, IN 47305
Hancock County
Tuesday, November 27
9am-3pm
Contact: Roy Ballard
Telephone: 317-462-1113
Purdue Extension Office
802 North Apple Street
Greenfield IN 46140
Decatur County
Saturday, January 26
9am-3pm
Contact: Dan Wilson
Telephone: 812-663-8388
Extension Office
545 S 200 W
Greensburg, IN 47240
Vigo County
Friday, November 30
9am-3pm
Contact: Jim Luzar
Telephone: 812-462-3371
Ivy Tech Workforce Development
1700 East Industrial Drive
Terre Haute, IN 47802
Monroe County
Tuesday, November 13
9am-3pm
Contact: Amy Thompson
Telephone: 812-349-2575
Extension Office
3400 South Walnut St
Bloomington in 47401
Harrison County
Monday, November 5
9am-3pm
Contact: Miranda Ulery
Telephone: 812-738-4236
Extension Office
247 Atwood Street
Corydon, IN 47112
Knox County
Tuesday, November 27
9am-3pm
Contact: Valerie Clingerman
Telephone: 812-882-3509
SWPAP Meeting Room
4367 N Purdue Rd
Vincennes, IN 47591-7580
