KDFM partners with Ivy Tech Community College
KOKOMO, Ind. — Ivy Tech Community College and the Kokomo Downtown Association’s Farmers’ Market have announced that they have joined forces to grow the market and create jobs in the Kokomo area.
“My interest in the agriculture community and economic development has led me to offering Ivy Tech’s resources to assist and support the Kokomo Downtown Association’s Farmers’ Market for the next three years,” Steve Daily, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College said.
John Wiles, KDA director of downtown initiatives, and Amanda Wright-Jarrett, market director, are excited about the partnership. “The market has provided jobs and income to Kokomo area farmers and artists for several years, but Ivy Tech’s involvement is much needed and appreciated,” Wiles said. “Ivy Tech will help the market grow into a ‘must see’ Saturday morning attraction.”
Wright-Jarrett, owner of the downtown business, Bodywork West, 205 W. Superior St., added: “I am so grateful and excited to be a part of the Kokomo Farmers’ Market. Promoting our smaller, local farmers and encouraging the community to get out and enjoy our downtown area is so important. Eating and enjoying locally grown food should be an experience. Ivy Tech's partnership is a huge blessing and speaks very clearly of its dedication to stimulating the local economy and pushing for Kokomo to be a more dynamic city.”
Daily said he has several reasons for assisting the market, but three in particular:
- He serves as chair of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance of which the Downtown Association is a division. He knows that small, independent farms create jobs and provide services that benefit the area economically.
- Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region has an agriculture program that has grown from three students to 35 students in just one year. Daily is well aware of the interest in agriculture and agri-business in this area.
- Daily knows agriculture’s importance and benefits to the Kokomo area, because the Daily family has a history of farming in Howard County. Daily is transitioning his own130- acre farm in western Howard County to organic.
They include:
- Paying a stipend for a director/market manager
- Offering its marketing department to promote and advertise the market
- Provide paid interns from the agriculture school to assist with the operation of the market
- Direct some design and informational projects to the Farmers’ Market.
For information, contact Wright-Jarrett at (765)-438-0918.
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.
Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region serves Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Tipton and Wabash counties and includes campuses or instructional sites in the communities of Kokomo, Logansport, North Manchester, Peru, Rochester, Wabash and Winamac. To learn more about Ivy Tech, visit www.ivytech.edu.
