VIDEO: Follow the cursor in this video and see how you can use MarketMaker to find farms, mazes, produce stands, U-pick patches and more: Market Maker for Partners on Vimeo
An online resource exists for you to search for opportunities to pick your own produce, find local fruits, vegetables, and meats, and to have fun on Illinois farms that welcome visitors.
It’s called MarketMaker and it can help you and other Illinoisans find those opportunities. The tool strives to connect all stakeholders across the food production and distribution chain – farmers, processors/packers, restaurants, farmers markets, consumers and more. Farmers create profiles that MarketMaker stores in the database. Then, users can search by product or business type to locate local partners and markets. It’s a way to build a virtual infrastructure that brings healthier, fresher and more flavorful food to you and other Illinoisans.
See more: Creating Local Food Communities Throughout Illinois
While MarketMaker links users across the country, it has a local tie – MarketMaker was created by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2004.
You and others can use MarketMaker to connect with more than 1,800 local farms and businesses across the state that use this tool at specialtygrowers.org/shoplocal.
See more: Are You Eating Local More Than You Realize?
