Host Tours & Events for 2024 Local Food Week

2024 Local Food Week - Sign up NOW to Host Tours & Events
When: Friday, July 26 thru Sunday, August 4
Where: Local Food Farms, Markets, Restaurants, Businesses & Organization across NE Indiana


Be a part of the 5th annual Local Food Week! We invite local food farms, businesses and organizations to host farm tours and local food related events during this 10-day celebration of Northeast Indiana’s farms, markets, artisan food producers, restaurants, and organizations that bring local food from Our Land to Our Tables. 

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network launched Local Food Week in 2020 to create an opportunity for our families, foodies and visitors to our region to connect with those who grow, sell, serve and support the local food we all love. 

In 2023, Local Food Week featured over 30 different farms and local food businesses & organizations across 7 Northeast Indiana counties, who hosted over 2,000 participants for tours, events and tastings.

Visting the cattle at Lone Tree Farms just north of Huntertown in Noble County, IN.

Families enjoy a scavenger hunt during a farm tour of Creation Celebration in Mentone, in Kosciusko County.

This year, our 5th Annual Local Food Week will build on the success of prior years. New Local Food Trails will encourage participates to attend multiple nearby local food events to extend their local food week celebration.

We encourage you to welcome our community to see where our local food comes from, meet the folks who produce it, and taste the bounty that comes from the farms around us.

Local Food Week Host Registration ends Monday, June 10, 2024.

 
 

Sign up TODAY to be a Local Food Week Host

If you are a local farm, food producer, restaurant, market or food-related business or organization, hosting a Local Food Week tour or event is a great way to build connections with consumers and your community. You can choose to host one tour or event on one day during the week, or host events on multiple days of Local Food Week. You choose what works best for you and for other nearby local food farms & businesses you choose to collaborate with for Local Food Week.

We will not highlight farms or businesses that are not doing a special event at their farm, market or business. For example, rather than listing a farm stand as open throughout the week as a Local Food Week event, the farm or business must host a special tour, product tasting, or activity (big or small) in addition that is not part of their regular business offerings. 

We encourage hosts to offer Local Food Week tours and events at NO or MINIMAL CHARGE, so these events remain financially accessible to all families. You are welcome to encourage donations for your farm or business, or to offer items for sale to your guests. We encourage you to consider offering pre-registration for your tour/event for your convenience, so you can predict and control the number of attendees. However, be aware that the need to pre-register will discourage some families from participating.

Have questions? Need help completing the host registration form? Contact Ellen Bauman our Local Food Outreach Coordinator at ellen@neifood.org or text/call (260)739-8748 or Denise Hoff, our 2024 Local Food Week Chair at info@neifood.org or text/call (260)438-0954.

Local Food Week Sponsorship

While the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network does not require registration fees for local food farms and businesses to participate in Local Food Week, sponsorship of this community-focused event helps offset printing and other event costs. 

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network offers three levels of sponsorship for participating hosts: $50, $100 and $250. Sponsors will be acknowledged for their generosity in the printed 2024 Local Food Week Companion Guide, on our website and featured in our social media campaign.

Interested in being a Local Food Week Sponsor or have questions about sponsorship? Reach out to Ellen or Denise at the contact information above.

Learning how vegetables grow at Berry Hill Farm

Understanding your Safety & Risk Management

Your safety and the safety of your Local Food Week guests is paramount. For additional information about agritourism precautions, and agritourism safety and risk management and managing liability on your property, please review these guidelines.


Looking for Ideas? Host one of these Local Food Week events…

  • Farm Tours - Self-guided tours, or Guided small group tours. Pre-registration is encouraged to help you manage the number of visitors on the farm.

  • Local Food Tastings & Demonstrations - Offer visitors the chance to taste new local foods and show them how to prepare them. Events that give participants the opportunity to taste new foods & beverages, or to purchase special or slightly discounted products are very popular.

  • “Meet your Farmer” or “Meet your Artisan Local Food Producer” Events - Offer guests the opportunity to meet the person who grows or produces the local food you sell or serve.

  • Picnics on the Farm - Encourage visitors to bring their own picnic, or collaborate with a local food truck or caterer to offer food for sale.

  • Special Interest events for gardeners, foodies or families - Design your tour or event to have special appeal: 1) to families with young children, 2) to those looking for tips for their home garden, or 3) to those who are really into knowing more about the ingredients in their favorite foods, or pollinators or how to compost.

  • Collaborate with other local food farms, businesses, organizations, wineries/brewery or restaurants. Plan your events on the same day and at times that will encourage attendees to participate in each of your tours/events. Plan ways you can promote your events together!

Feel free to think outside of the box and if you want to include an event you host regularly, we’re just asking that you provide a special addition to the event that we can highlight for Local Food Week.

Want to be a Local Food Week volunteer? Please reach out to us!

Janet Katz