The family behind Kercher’s Sunrise Orchards also operates a wholesale business, Sunrise Produce, which sources from other Indiana farmers (and beyond, when needed). 

Local Procurement

The dollar amount for purchase will determine the procurement method when buying from a vendor/distributor or directly from a farmer. For more information, please review IDOE Procurement Information Sheet (Word Doc).

For questions or concerns about informal and formal bidding, visit IDOE Procurement Resources.

Schools can procure local foods by: 

  1. Procuring local foods through vendors/distributors using an informal or formal bidding process.

  2. Procuring local foods directly from local farmers using an informal or formal bidding process.

  3. If utilizing the DOD Fresh program, working with the DOD Fresh vendor to procure local produce.

 

Steps to take when directly procuring from local farmers: 

  1. Determine the type of procurement method.

  2. Reach out to local producers — check our directory to find options in your region!

  3. Make sure to document throughout the process. (Documentation is key and helps justify the reasons for selecting specific farmers.)

 

Food Safety

The Indiana Department of Education does not enforce the Food Safety Modernization Act, but rather defaults to the regulatory agency, the Indiana State Department of Health, for compliance with state and federal rules. Public schools in Indiana are not required to follow rules that go beyond the state and federal regulation. In order to sell to schools, local growers need to comply with the FSMA flowchart for compliance/exemption status, based on gross sales and proximity to buyer, and to consider their liability in deciding whether or not to take the PSA GAPs Training offered by Purdue Extension. 

It is recommended that food service directors buy from producers who are registered with the state as a wholesale producer and receive Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) training prior to selling to schools. However, this is not a requirement.

To ask questions to the Indiana State Department of Health’s Food Safety Farm Consultants regarding local farms in your area, visit the ISDH Farm Produce Safety Initiative page.