NWI Food Council Farm Hop - Local Farm Tours

Friday, September 12, 2025, 8:30a-4p
Hosted by the Northwest Indiana Food Council

For both tours, please plan to arrive at Grounded Earth Farm, located at 11105 Fathke Road in Crown Point, Indiana, between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. From there, you’ll board a bus that will take you to the participating farms and our lunch location. We’ll return to Grounded Earth Farm by 4:00 p.m. to conclude the day.

FarmHop is an immersive, one-day event that invites participants to experience the power of local food systems in action across Northwest Indiana. Designed to spotlight the intersection of farming, community health, and institutional partnerships, FarmHop offers two curated tour tracks that bring local food stories to life.

🍎 Tour Option 1: Farm to School in Action

Get a firsthand look at how local farms and schools are partnering to nourish the next generation:

• Visit two working farms growing food for school meals
• Enjoy a locally sourced lunch at River Forest Schools located in Hobart, Indiana, where food is celebrated in both the cafeteria and the classroom (limited lunch-only tickets available)
• Tour the Region Roots Local Farm & Food Hub, which connects farms to institutions year-round

🌿 Tour Option 2: Local Food is Medicine
This tour highlights a growing “food is medicine” movement through the lens of maternal and child health:

• Tour two women-led farms that are part of a 14-member FarmHer cooperative, providing fresh produce, meat, and eggs to WIC-eligible new mothers
• Visit with Nurse-Family Partnership nurses who support new moms with personalized care and nutrition guidance
• Enjoy a locally sourced lunch at Rainfield Farm located in New Carlisle, Indiana (limited lunch-only tickets available)
• Wrap up at Region Roots Local Farm & Food Hub to see how aggregation and distribution make this model both sustainable and scalable

Both tours include:

• A thoughtfully prepared, locally sourced lunch
• Time to connect with farmers, healthcare professionals, educators, and community leaders
• A compelling view into how local food efforts are advancing community health, education, and our region’s resilience

Note: Lunch will be served at 12:30 PM for both farm tours. If you are attending lunch only, please plan to arrive at the Lunch location by that time. Location details will be provided prior to the event.

Can’t make it to FarmHop? You can still make a difference. By becoming an event sponsor or making a donation, you’ll help expand farm-to-school initiatives and food-as-medicine programming that connect local farms to our community.

Tickets are non-refundable, but may be transferred to another attendee. If no one attends in your place, your ticket will be considered a donation to support the ongoing work of the Northwest Indiana Food Council.