FARMWISE Indiana Becomes NonProfit
What FARMWISE Indiana Becoming a NonProfit Means For Your Food
STATEWIDE–FARMWISE Indiana became a new nonprofit earlier this month. It’s a program that started in July 2024 to strengthen regional food systems in Indiana.
FARMWISE Indiana Executive Director Jodee Smith said Indiana is one of the only states in the U.S. that has a system like this. In 2025, Hoosiers spent roughly $27.5 billion on food
“When people have incentives to buy local food or institutions want to buy local food, they can call FARMWISE Indiana because we’re right there,” said Smith in an interview with Inside Indiana Business.
Smith says FARMWISE Indiana has propeled more than 200 businesses to work on their values-based procurement plans and has helped shift $75,000 to local farms.
In addition, FARMWISE Indiana is now able to quantify the direct farm impact of the institutions purchasing locally grown foods. For example, IU Dining in Bloomington spent more than $4 million buying food from Hoosier businesses, including $1.4 million from Indiana farms, during the 2024-25 academic year.
She says FARMWISE Indiana Inc. will continue to build on its early momentum and offer consulting services for farmers and food producers who are ready to sell wholesale but need guidance.
Since its inception, Smith says the FARMWISE Indiana team has fostered relationships with more than 2,200 stakeholders, attended and hosted more than 1,200 meetings, and made more than 300 introductions between buyers and sellers of local food.
