Dept. of Trade, Agriculture and Consumer Protection: Workshop to help local food producers expand local markets

Contact: Ann Marie Ames, 608-224-5041 or

Jim Dick, Communications Director, 608-224-5020

MADISON –Local food producers who want to grow their local sales outlets this season should plan to attend the “Know Your Buyers” workshop April 30 in Madison. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and UW-Extension encourage producers to register now for the technical assistance workshop, which growers can attend in person or free via webinar.

Attendees can expect to hear a panel discussion about selling to restaurants, grocery stores, institutions, schools and through community supported agriculture programs (CSA’s). Attendees can learn what these organizations are looking for in locally grown food and how to talk to them about it.

“This is a good fit for producers who want to try new markets or expand their current markets,” said Teresa Engel, DATCP’s Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin program manager. “They will learn how to interact with and speak to these kinds of buyers.”

Speakers include Claire Strader, a small-scale production and organic produce educator; Theresa Feiner of the REAP Food Group; Patrick DePula with Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, Sun Prairie; Annemarie Maitri of Bloom Bake Shop, Middleton; Derek Burnstad of Burnstad’s Market in Black River Falls, Tomah, Richland Center and Spencer; Claire Nagel, a food service administrator at Mendota Mental Health Institute, Madison, and Kymm Mutch of Farmlogix, Chicago.

The workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the first-floor boardroom at DATCP, 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53718. The cost is $10 for the first representative from a farm or business and $5 each for additional representatives. Attending the workshop via webinar is free. To register for the webinar, contact Engel at teresa.engel@wisconsin.gov or 608-224-5101.

DATCP Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin program and UW-Extension host technical assistance workshops on a monthly basis. The May workshop will include a discussion from local food growers that sell to distributors as well as information about local food hubs. When details are available, they will be posted at http://datcp.wi.gov/Business/Buy_Local_Buy_Wisconsin.

Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin is part of DATCP’s local and regional foods programming. BLBW hosts workshops and provides other resources to make technical assistance available at an affordable price to Wisconsin local food producers.

UW-Extension provides education and resources to Wisconsin students, business owners, farmers, community leaders, youth and families. To learn about UW-Extension programming, visit www.uwex.edu.