Agricultural markets -- Supply chain -- Illinois -- Case studies
Geographic Coverage
East Central Illinois
Central Illinois
Abstract
Beginning in 2019, University of Illinois Extension partnered with Arthur Produce Auction on an initiative called Partners in Produce. After the Farm to Food Bank team learned that other Farm to Food Bank programs partner with produce auctions, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and Feeding Illinois wanted to learn more about the Partners in Produce initiative and see if there was opportunity for collaboration. After several discussions it was made evident that Partners in Produce team needed funding to scale their program and capture additional product. On Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the growing season, the U of I Extension team attended the Arthur Produce Auction. The Partners in Produce team acts as any other bidder, but only “wins” produce once it has not sold in the standard price range, at which point it is awarded at a heavily discount rate. Prior to this initiative, product not sold in the standard price range would go back with the farmer, often going to waste. Once the auction closes, the Partners in Produce team gathers up all the produce they acquired for the day, weighs and records it, and then delivers to forty-two food pantries in Coles, Cumberland, Macon, Douglas, Shelby, and Moultrie counties. Twenty-nine of the food pantries are in the Feeding Illinois network and fall in the service areas of Eastern Illinois Foodbank and Central Illinois Foodbank. A wide variety of produce is acquired at the auction including broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, cucumber, green beans, onions, peppers, potatoes, sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. By the end of the 2022 auction season, Feeding Illinois funded the Partners in Produce initiative in the amount of $12,000 to cover the Picking and Pack-Out (PPO) costs and aid in the donation of 54,990 pounds of fruits and vegetables. This supported 13 farmers throughout the season. 75% of this product was delivered to food pantries in the Feeding Illinois network.
Publisher
Champaign, IL : Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Publications from ISTC TAP's Farm to Food Bank project. The project aims to connect food banks with farms to purchase products like fruits, vegetables, cheese, milk, meat, and eggs directly from farmers. The overall goal of the project is to identify and build a long-term market and infrastructure for Illinois farmers and Illinois food banks.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
