Supporting Indiana Agriculture

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Indiana’s agricultural industry is a major economic driver. Today, more than 190,000 Hoosier jobs are supported by agriculture and approximately $11 billion in agriculture products are sold in Indiana every year. However, of the $16 billion that Indiana consumers typically spend on food, less than 10 percent of those purchases are sourced within Indiana.

To support Hoosier farmers and diversify consumer choices, the General Assembly established Indiana Grown. The program, developed by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), works to raise statewide awareness of Indiana-grown products and to connect local suppliers with local consumers, embracing the farm-to-fork concept.

• Indiana Grown is more than a “buy local” label. The program has three major components:
  
• Support Indiana processors in their effort to process more Indiana Grown products; and
  
• Educate consumers on the importance of buying Indiana Grown products.
  

Using four categories, Hoosier consumers can easily identify different products while shopping:

• 100% Indiana – Products within this category must be grown in Indiana and/or all ingredients must come from Indiana.
  
• Prepared in Indiana – Product ingredients can be sourced from anywhere, but 100 percent of the production must be done in Indiana.
  
• Partner – To be an Indiana Grown partner, a company or institution must assist in marketing Indiana grown products and members.
  
• Indiana Grown – This category applies to all other Indiana Grown members.
  

In partnership with ISDA, Marsh Supermarkets recently announced efforts to support Indiana Grown by launching kiosks in 50 Indiana stores showcasing more than 100 locally sourced products. This kind of collaboration is exactly what Indiana Grown hopes to achieve.

Indiana Grown was recently awarded $126,314 through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Special Crop Block Grant Program. This grant will help foster continued support for Hoosier farmers through various marketing campaigns and private partnerships.

To learn more about Indiana Grown or become a member, visit www.IndianaGrown.org.

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