By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Often, the hardest part of farming for farmers is selling specialty crops they grow or meats from the livestock they raise.
Food MarketMaker, an online networking platform, was introduced locally during the May CIFT Agribusiness Forum as a tool that helps farmers find better markets and buyers find the products they want.
Michelle Wallace, agriculture and natural resources extension educator with Central State University, discovered the tool as she was helping a group of Cincinnati area cut-flower growers find a better way to communicate with potential buyers what flowers they had available.
The platform was founded in 2004 at the University of Illinois by Ohio natives and Extension specialists Rich and Dar Knipe. A cooperative effort with 21 land grant universities, nonprofit organizations and government organizations has expanded the marketing network to include more than 20 states, one U.S. territory, and a Canadian province.
“It’s a massive network and platform to reach all of these different farmers and markets,” Wallace said. The free and open resource connects farmers and other businesses in the food and ag industry to help them increase their network and access markets that are available in the food industry.
Designed for specialty crops rather than corn, wheat and soybeans, MarketMaker customers are often beginning farmers, alternative agricultural producers, or those who are focused on organic, sustainable and regenerative agriculture, Wallace said.
Farm Bureau, Farm Credit, U.S. Department of Agriculture and many additional state and regional organizations support the platform financially and programmatically. The goal is to grow and market the farms and the businesses that buy from the farms and growers.
Central State University is among the newest partners and a state hub. “This gives others the opportunity to plug into the network at a reduced rate,” Wallace said.
In Ohio, currently there are nearly 2,000 farms and businesses registered on the site. Buyers don’t need to be registered to search for farmers and their products. Within the platform, there is also a “What’s in Season” application, designed by Michigan State University, to help customers and buyers communicate the seasonal availability of products.
To explain the tool’s impact, in 2023, the site had 40,000 farm businesses and organizations registered, 170,000 profile views and 1.4 million national site page views. Additionally, there are 2.5 million geo-coded businesses that can be searched and 132 domains supported. The most-viewed profiles and businesses are identifiable through the platform’s robust data analytics.
For farmers or growers, the process starts by creating a profile, Wallace said. The profile includes the product(s) available, location, contact information, and partners and affiliations. Adding photographs, demographic information and an online store improves visibility and search engine ranking.
The search tool is powerful and allows searches based on affiliations, products, location, business type, certifications and product attributes. For businesses that have a goal of purchasing a percentage of their goods from underserved populations, there is also a search based on demographics.
MarketMaker includes a buy/sell listing that gives buyers and sellers real-time availability of products and product needs, Wallace said. “They can get notifications for trade alerts, so if you are a buyer and you need a certain product, you can push a notification and the grower can respond and vice versa.”
There are opportunities to post discounts or donations through the platform for selling and buying seconds, and there are notifications for surplus products to be sent to food banks and charitable organizations.
“Technology doesn’t constrict or limit the boundaries of MarketMaker,” said co-founder Dar Knipe. “There is unlimited ability to scale it.”
“MarketMaker is a great way to do research beyond the bounds of who you know and your local sense of what the marketplace is,” said Gary Matteson with Farm Credit Council.
Visit the site at foodmarketmaker.com. Additional information for Ohio farmers and growers is available by contacting Michelle Wallace at mwallace@centralstate.edu.
