Farm to OHIO Working Group

The Farm to Ohio Working Group is a Sugar Bush Foundation-funded initiative to strengthen our regional food system through institutional procurement of locally grown food and to develop our regional food network.

Farm to Institution 2022-23 Mini-Summits

September 30, 2022, 11am-2pm, West 82 Food Court, Baker Center, Ohio University: Local Produce Fair

October 27, 2022, 2pm, Chesterhill Produce Auction: Growing a Rural Food Hub

Interested in local food systems? Curious about how food hubs are created to serve local communities? Join us at the Chesterhill Produce Auction to learn about how the auction started under a tent in a field in 2005 and developed into a market that serves over 200 producers and sells over $300,000 worth of produce each year. Over the last 13 years, over 3,485,000 lbs of food have moved through the auction to over a thousand home consumers, restaurants, corner stores, health care providers, universities, K-12 schools, and food banks across Central Appalachia.

We invite community members, food systems workers, producers, and consumers to come out at 2pm. We will tour the auction and surrounding campus, hear from Rural Action’s Director of Sustainable Agriculture, Tom Redfern, and Auction Manager, Jessica Dotson, about the auction’s history and growth, and then stay for a community potluck and the final produce auction of the season!

Bring yourselves, some sturdy shoes, and a dish to share if you want.

February 23, 2023, 5:30pm, Location TBD: Growing an Equitable Food System with Community Food Initiatives

March 30, 2023, Time and Location TBD: Sustainable Agriculture: Mimicking Nature and Promoting Community: Growing an Equitable Food System with The Nature Conservancy

May 17, 2023, Time TBD, OHIO Student Farm: Planting the Seed - Inspiring Young Farmers Through On-farm Experiences

June, 2023, Time and Location TBD: Producer Spotlights:  Opportunities and Barriers with Selling To Institutions