Fischer Farms Natural Foods
Sharing their Grounded Beliefs Directly with Customers
Sandra Yerges
When thinking of the future goals for a business, it is typical to think of looking upwards. However, over the past two decades, Fischer Farms has utilized its historical grounding as a multi-generational operation to expand its continued focus toward the earth below. This Indiana land, which was originally owned by a Civil War soldier, is now being cultivated with attention to how it impacts the cattle being raised as well as how it can maintain and elevate its quality for years to come.
This sustainably driven mindset was further ignited by the Fischer Family’s experience living overseas. For a short time, they resided in Europe, which gave them a true opportunity to see how beef can be impacted through holistic farming. Although taking on a natural approach to their operation was new for them, it was something they felt strongly about implementing in their operation.
Their first step was to create a herd solely treated with natural practices. This would help clean the slate of any industrial farming practices that occurred before then. From there, they have since worked to eliminate all harmful inputs, such as counteracting pests with ladybugs, integrating nutrient-dense kelp into their animal feed, and removing chemicals from their operation.
“The idea is taking sustainability up a level so you’re not just sustaining the ground but actually improving the ground and having a positive impact on the environment,” stated Joseph Fischer, who works with order fulfillment and stakeholder communication at the company.
Even though naturally-raised beef is the main product sourced from Fischer Farms, this operation offers a wide range of food products for its customers. Under the name Fischer Farms Natural Foods, the company works with other producers in their area to sell their goods. No matter if it is the cheese or maple syrup products produced off-site, all of the outside offerings are compliant with the brand’s sustainable guidelines.
Before 2021, Joseph desired to take this multi-product company and make it more accessible to interested customers. Wholesale outlets were a big part of the established consumer base, including restaurant kitchens and university dining halls. However, he mentioned that moving into the “direct-to-consumer space” was a goal of their operation around that time.
Despite beginning to integrate direct sales into their business model without external help, there was a funding opportunity that caught Joseph’s attention that could contribute toward this plan. While collaborating with others in the industry through a value chain network meeting, the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) first became a possibility in his mind. His later search about the grant program provided him with the motivation to move forward with the process.
Joseph took on the role of drafting the VAPG application for Fischer Farms Natural Foods. As a first-time grant writer, he felt the application was achievable and simple to work through, even with a lack of experience with this type of work. 
“As far as the text boxes in the application, I thought it was pretty friendly for a new grant person to work through that versus maybe some of the other grants I’ve seen,” he shared.
With that said, some aspects of his early grant awardee experience required a more tuned-in mindset. Whether it was understanding the meaning of unfamiliar terminology or how to fill out the reimbursement forms, Joseph was on a learning journey throughout his time with the VAPG. Thankfully, a resource from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA), Millie Serrano, was there to assist throughout the process.
Relying on Millie’s help was crucial in Joseph’s VAPG journey. Her professional knowledge and frequent communication made a large difference in the confidence he had as the primary reporter of his expenses for the grant. Without this USDA assistance, Fischer Farm Natural Foods would not have been able to fully experience what the grant had to offer.
Throughout the farm’s grant period, some of the primary undertakings were the introduction of an e-commerce website and the creation of promotional messaging for the brand. During the development of these sales and marketing projects, the grant also helped support Fischer Farms with operational expenses. In the end, the time spent immersed in brand-building activities provided the business with an opportunity for trial and error, which would have otherwise been too costly.
Because this VAPG experience allowed them to try something new, there were lessons learned from going through the grant that spanned throughout the Fischer Farms team. Marketing Director Heather Tallman, for example, explained it is important for any producer to keep their eyes open for announcements made by the USDA. By signing up for their email list or looking on their social media platforms, farmers can remain aware of important grant-related news.
Knowing this information and deciding to apply for USDA funding can be the difference between a successful business and one that continues to grow on its success. For a company that looks down at the fields with pride in the treatment they put in, Fischer Farms Natural Foods now has multiple platforms for others to look them up online to support their earth-sustaining work. This is all because of the VAPG, a resource that continues to shine a light on the success-building projects of today’s producers.
