Ohio University/Christina Baird
Ohio report chronicles successes, challenges of university-supported produce auction
Mary Reed
March 3, 2010
The Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs issued a report March 18, 2010 that chronicles the story of the produce auction where Ohio University purchases food for its dining programs, including a set of best practices that other communities can follow if they want to start a similar auction.
The idea that a produce auction thrives better with committed produces and buyers is one of 10 considerations the document lists as important to the startup and functioning of a successful produce auction. Other considerations include identifying target customers, partnering with a local organization and developing a sales-tracking system.
The Central Appalachian Network commissioned the Voinovich School to produce the report with $5,000 in funding from the Ford Foundation and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. Seven nonprofit organizations in the central Appalachian region make up CAN, including Rural Action, an Athens County-based nonprofit that helped launch the auction and then helped forge the Ohio University connection.
For a complete copy of the report click here.
