Fairshare's Expansion into Ohio
- Beth Knorr
- Jul 20, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 9, 2023
I joined the FairShare team in late May, bringing with me the array of food system experiences I’ve had over the past 24 years in Ohio. Whether it be through my work as an organic CSA farmer, farmers’ market manager, local, state, and federal policy advocate, food access program developer, or local food business entrepreneur, I have been engaged with Ohio’s growers and technical assistance organizations throughout the course of my career. I am thrilled to be working directly with vegetable growers and CSA farmers in this role, and look forward to expanding the network and delivering FairShare services in Ohio.
With FairShare having strong, established relationships already existing in many of the states in the Midwest, and a handful of enthusiastic supporters of FairShare’s work located in Ohio, Ohio was targeted for intentional cultivation through the hiring of a remote staff person in the role of Ohio Program Manager.
In 2021, FairShare was awarded a Regional Food System Partnership Grant through the USDA. The funding received from this grant will support:
Establishing a Network of technical assistance (TA) providers serving direct market vegetable growers across the Midwest,
Building a participatory Network of Midwestern direct market vegetable growers.
Connecting growers to the services of the Network, and
Providing growers with opportunities to add value to their products and improve financial stability through recognized certifications and endorsements.
Some of what I’m looking forward to doing in the upcoming months include: Working with farmers in hosting grower gatherings to develop camaraderie and informal skill sharing (dates are in the works, so stay tuned!); sharing information around the support FairShare provides to CSA practitioners and serving growers who wish to become FairShare farms; engaging growers and technical assistance organizations with the Midwest Vegetable Growers Network; promoting CSAs to consumers in Ohio through educational marketing, workplace CSA support, Partner Shares promotion, and exploring the potential for health insurance rebates for CSA members.
If you are a grower (or a consumer!) in Ohio and are interested in learning more or connecting around this work please reach out to me at beth@csacoalition.org.
I’m glad this is focused on direct-market vegetable growers, because they’re often doing production + marketing + customer service all at once. If you end up sharing case studies, I’d be interested in the “boring” operational wins (crop planning templates, wash/pack workflow changes, retention ideas) as much as the policy stuff. Weird comparison, but dialing in a farm’s brand presentation reminds me of finding a https://stylelooklab.com -type personal style baseline — small consistent choices can make everything feel more stable.
The part about helping growers add value and improve financial stability hits home — CSA margins always seem thinner than people assume, especially with unpredictable weather. I’d love to hear what “recognized certifications and endorsements” you’re prioritizing first (GAP, organic support, food safety training?), and how you’ll keep it accessible cost-wise. Side note, the idea of “adding value” always makes me think of the creative side of things too — like how https://imgg.ai/styles/ghibli turns the same photo into something people perceive totally differently.
Hiring a remote Ohio Program Manager makes a lot of sense if the goal is to actually show up consistently for growers instead of doing a one-off rollout. I’m curious whether you’re planning to map TA providers by specialty (soil health, business planning, food safety, etc.) so farmers can find the right person quickly — that kind of directory vibe reminded me of https://hrefgo.com , just in a totally different space.
I like that this isn’t just “we’re expanding,” but has a pretty specific plan around TA providers and connecting growers to services. When you say “participatory network,” what does participation look like for a farmer in peak season — short surveys, regular calls, on-farm visits? Random aside: the phrase made me think of how a good quick cipher identifier tool narrows things down fast so you’re not wasting time on the wrong approach.
The USDA partnership grant angle feels especially timely with how many growers I’ve heard talk about unstable input costs and labor the last couple seasons. I wonder if the network-building piece will include a simple way for farmers to share what’s actually working locally (not just webinars), because those peer-to-peer tips can be weirdly motivating — kind of like chasing a better run in https://blockblast.co , where small strategy tweaks add up.