Ball State commits nearly $300K for regional food hub

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) Ball State University plans to spend nearly $300,000 to help establish a regional food hub in Muncie that would supply food from Indiana farms to retail, wholesale and institutional markets, such as restaurants, schools, hospitals or universities.

A state Department of Agriculture study published in May found other proposed food hubs in Batesville, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne and Columbus face challenges. They include lack of cold storage/warehousing space, financing, finding enough food, and the high cost to small farmers of obtaining Good Agriculture Practices certification to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards, The (Muncie) Star Press reports.

The Muncie food hub has found warehousing space downtown in the former Cintas industrial laundry building, now owned by the nonprofit Sustainable Muncie and known as GearBox: Muncie A Maker Hub.

Michael O’Donnell, a Purdue extension agent in Delaware County who signed a letter supporting the project, said there needs to be enough growers who want to work together or a business organizing the growers for it to work.

“I think it’s very much up in the air. There just needs to be a number of conversations and meetings to vision this thing out and see what might make sense,” he said.

There are only three existing food hubs in Indiana Hoosier Harvest Market in Greenfield, the Purple Porch Co-op in South Bend, and This Old Farm in Colfax/Clinton County. This Old Farm’s slogans include “responsible food, responsibly priced,” ”rejuvenating the land one farm at a time,” and “making ethical food a reality.”

Jason Donati, chairman of Muncie’s Urban Gardening Initiative, which encourages food production in community gardens and on vacant lots, said a food hub is a great idea.

“I hope to continue to see more people learning how to grow their own food, and more families in our downtown neighborhoods having access to locally produced, fresh food options,” Donati said.