Indiana would create online portal, ‘one-stop-shop’ for farmers, under bill nearing governor’s desk

Lawmakers want Indiana to create a “one-stop-shop” for Hoosier farmers to access government information and benefits.

A Senate committee this week unanimously advanced a bill to create an online portal for agricultural producers.

Mike Hoopengardner is a longtime dairy farmer. He said when he started out, he and his wife had to register with more than half a dozen government agencies and get several certifications and permits — something he said took hours and hours.

“It would’ve been so nice to have this portal,” Hoopengardner said. “This portal would’ve been a huge, huge game changer for us.”

HB 1149 tasks the Indiana State Department of Agriculture with building the portal. Farmers would be able to search for necessary government information and learn about state and federal funding opportunities and requirements.

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ISDA’s Quinton Hayes said the department also knows it will need to do outreach about the portal once it’s created.

“When we get out to our local communities, some communication that way,” Hayes said. “They can see it in a newspaper or a public forum.”

The bill could be sent to the governor’s desk next week.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.