New web portal developed by NMSU links farms to institutional buyers

A newly launched website aims to connect New Mexico food producers with agencies or institutions such as school districts, senior centers and food banks.

“Path to Plate,” online at PathToPlateNM.com, is a new business-to-business portal developed by New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, in collaboration with Albuquerque web developer Real Time Solutions, to facilitate easy procurement of healthy food and keep local supply chains in motion.

The portal is the brainchild of Weston Medlock, Path to Plate’s senior program manager. Medlock works for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, or ACES. He said Path to Plate is a culmination of his years working in agricultural areas including land access, local food systems and marketplaces. Prior to joining ACES, Medlock had serve as project manager of San Juan College’s Harvest Food Hub, another online marketplace.

“I wanted to crack the code of how a producer can get their products from point A to point B in the simplest way possible,” Medlock said, “taking all of the time-consuming and cumbersome processes and trying to consolidate those into just a few clicks. ... One of the bottlenecks for local food supply chains from expanding and really penetrating larger markets is the accessibility of that local food and how it’s procured.”

Path to Plate, he said, is based on the idea that buying from local producers should be just as easy as buying from national distributors.

Path to Plate operates on a subscription model, with producers paying $29 per month and buyers $49. Subscriptions are available for distributors as well. The service includes inventory management, invoicing, advanced search filters and secure portals for messaging and payments.

Additional features allow for negotiating orders in advance, allowing producers to plan crop production with the assurance of guaranteed buyers.

The program, which received development funds through the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, aligns with the safety standards of New Mexico Grown, a state-recognized local food initiative.

Medlock said the regional economic development boost for food producers was significant, citing data from the New Mexico Regional Farm to Food Bank, which found that one dollar spent on local food in New Mexico amounts to $1.70 in local economic benefit.

Farm-to-institution initiatives have bloomed over the past two decades, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture reporting a 75% increase in activity since 2015.

Marie Johnson, one of Path to Plate’s inaugural buyers, supervises the student nutrition program for the Farmington Municipal Schools, which serves over 10,600 students and presents thousands of breakfasts and lunches daily. She has also been proactive in regular meetings between growers and institutional buyers ahead of planting seasons.

Johnson said the school district has purchased directly from producers and through the Harvest Food Hub, and will now purchase through Path to Plate as well. Johnson is not only an early registrant, but helped test the portal ahead of launch.

“It’s an amazing tool that will help institutions be able to really dial in to ordering and using local foods in the quantities that we need,” she said. “It’s very user-friendly, and I know that things are going to be even better moving forward.”

Medlock said the website will allow producers of any size to get their products to market, making local food more accessible.

For Johnson, Path to Plate’s success will be measured in the platform’s consistent performance and whether its marketplace will offer customers the variety of foods in the quantities they need.

“I really think it will change the game if people use it,” Johnson said.