Second-Annual North Iowa Local Food Trail Saturday (08.23)

***Submitted article.

Local Farmers Invite Community to Experience the Local Food Trail…Seven local shops to host the Second-Annual North Iowa Local Food Trail August 23, 2025.

Interest in locally sourced food is rising, leading many to ask where to find it in North Iowa. The answer might be closer than you expect.

The North Iowa Local Food Trail, which spans from Britt, IA to Floyd, IA, invites guests to follow a self-guided, back roads shop-hop through rural Northern Iowa. The trail includes five farm
stores, a food market and a local-food-centric restaurant. Supporting local farms and food businesses strengthens our community, and local food connections aren’t far from home for North Iowans.

This second-annual local food trail experience has SkyView Market of Nora Springs back on the map. Laura Cunningham, farmer and store owner is proud to offer their farm-raised beef plus
products from over 60 other Iowa small farms and businesses in her store. She has this to say about the food trail experience: “After a fun and successful first year, we are excited to bring back the North Iowa Local Food Trail experience for year two! Our goal with the event is to help our communities learn about the many ways they can access locally grown food year-round. So often we think of local food as a summer farmer’s market. North Iowa is home to several unique and fun brick and mortar stores, summer and winter farmer’s markets and a handful of events focused on celebrating all that’s raised right here in North Iowa. Stops on this year’s tour will be bursting with locally raised meats and produce, taste test opportunities and make-and-take activities. We’re also excited to be featuring a break and lunch pop up opportunity with Piggyback Smoke Shack in Osage!

Stops on the 2025 trail include: Mossycup Farms – Clear Lake, Piggyback Smoke Shack – Osage, Purple Ribbon Beef – Britt, Reiff’s Farmstand – Floyd,  SkyView Market – Nora Springs, the Market – Osage, Twisted River Farm – Mitchell.

Each stop on the trail offers their own spin on local food. Trail participants can visit any participating stop to pick up a printed copy of the map. (Or visit the trail Facebook page @North Iowa Local Food Trail to save/print a copy of your own.) Make your way to at least 5 of the 7 stores on the map and have it signed at each location to be entered to win a grand prize of local foods and handmade goods.

Steve Strasheim of Twisted River Farm in Mitchell, IA is also returning to the trail for a second year. Steve and his wife Marcy raise vegetables and flowers on their farm. Guests can visit their
on-farm store, see them at area farmer’s markets and also find their products on local retail shelves. In 2023, the Strasheims were the recipients of a Choose Iowa grant (along with five other stops along the trail!). Choose Iowa is an initiative aimed at promoting food products cultivated, processed, and brewed within Iowa. North Iowa is a prime example of how four years of these grant funds have been leveraged to advance the North Iowa local food sector and create positive ripple effects for other businesses that now incorporate Iowa-grown products into their menus and retail selections.

During the Food Trail event, guaranteed shopping hours for each trail location are from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Some locations may have extended hours, but 9AM to 3PM is guaranteed for each.  Along the trail you’ll find farm-raised meats, fresh fruits, and vegetables. There will be a variety of dairy products, honeys, syrups, sauces and seasonings, ready-made meals and self-care products. Many of the stops will also have taste test opportunities! It’s an event made for the senses and focused on celebrating the bounty local to North Iowa.

Be sure to pack a cooler. There’s never been a better time to enjoy a local bite!

**Click here for a map of the North Iowa Local Food Trail