Have you enjoyed tasty fresh produce from a roadside stand in Northeast Iowa recently? Chances are at least some of it came from the inspiring Cedar Valley Produce Auction.

This local success story has built a massive marketplace for fresh local produce out in the middle of nowhere in Elma, Iowa. The first year of business saw a total of around $200,000 of revenue (that was in 2003). Now the total revenue is over $3 million, and 90% of that produce is grown within 20 miles of the auction.
Cedar Valley Produce Auction
This unique marketplace is wholesale, but at the same time, it isn't. Anybody can sell produce here, from a large scale vegetable or flower grower to a family with a garden that had a bunch of extra green beans. The same goes for the buyer, who might range from an individual looking to load the canner to a produce manager from Hy-Vee stocking their store.
Cedar Valley Produce Auction Inc / Facebook
It's not just buyers and sellers that frequent this more than 50,000 square foot operation.  The auction draws bystanders, too, who enjoy the bustle and authenticity of the auction floor where the auctioneer’s singsong voice connects the honest hard work of the producer to the buyers who might travel as far as 180 miles to get a piece of this Iowan agriculture.
Cedar Valley Produce Auction Inc / Facebook

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The auctioning starts at noon every Monday and at 10 a.m. every Wednesday and Friday from mid-April through October.
Google Maps Street View
Flowers and plants such as fruit trees, shade trees and shrubs are sold in the spring. Produce from cantaloupe to tomatoes of every color to green beans and much more are sold all summer and into the fall.
Cedar Valley Produce Auction Inc / Facebook
A huge pumpkin sale happens in September and even fall decorations are sold here.
Cedar Valley Produce Auction Inc / Facebook

Whether spring, summer, or fall come out to witness this vibrant Iowa marketplace, and you might just end up with a trunk full of produce. Learn more about the Cedar Valley Produce Auction at their website or Facebook page. Have you ever been? If you love farmers’ markets, check out this popular Iowa one as well.

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Featured Addresses
Cedar Valley Produce Auction Inc, 18072 Addison Ave #8385, Elma, IA 50628, USA