“Twenty—twenty, hey! Now twenty-five—twenty-five…sold!”
Located two miles south of US 20, Clearspring Produce Auction offers fresh produce, flowers, perennials, and hay sales to local and long-distance buyers.
Founded in 1999 as a means for local farmers to sell fresh produce as wholesale items (versus retail), Clearspring Produce Auction now reaches buyers from South Bend, Michigan, and Chicago.
Auction days begin on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays every April and last into the fall.
Flowers and perennials take the stage throughout April, but after Memorial Day, fresh fruit and vegetables become the main focus.
Hay sales (and only hay sales) are the primary focus on Saturdays, starting at 10 in the morning and lasting anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours.
The Clearspring Auction Layout
From the outside, the Clearspring Produce Auction building looks like an ordinary, unassuming warehouse. But stepping inside is a different story.
The second you step inside, you hear an auctioneer calling out prices for a group of a dozen or more bidders surrounding him.
What to Expect: Produce and Plants
Pallets of jewel strawberries, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet cherries, carrots, flowers, and more are neatly lined up—creating aisles of produce and plants on the concrete floor of the building.
Along the south and west sides of the building, hanging flower baskets and perennials are up for sale—and the opened side doors let breeze and sunshine in.
Among these plant options are sunflowers, English lavender, red and purple lilies, Shasta daisies, geraniums, ranunculus, baby’s breath, and countless other choices.
As each lot of flowers or produce is sold, the auctioneer and his interested buyers move on to the next pallet.
And so the day continues until each lot is auctioned off to local bidders, or those bidding on behalf of long-distance buyers, whom we’ll discuss later.
Suppliers for the Clearspring Auction
Currently, growers live within 2–25 miles of the Clearspring location in LaGrange, Indiana.
A good percentage of growers provide produce throughout the season, while others sell crops only once or twice.
Because of the variety of farmers, lot sizes and/or amounts in pounds are called out before the bidding begins for the produce or plants.
Produce options vary throughout the week, but celery, onions, rhubarb, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, garlic, red potatoes, potatoes, green beans, and more are available in bulk when in season.
Buyers at the Clearspring Auction
On average, there are around 45 different local farmers selling produce weekly, and anywhere from 35–50 local buyers on auction days.
Each buyer needs a bidding card to participate in the auction, which can be picked up at the front window at any time.
Out-of-state buyers can call in advance to place an order for fresh fruit and vegetables sold on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
From there, a Clearspring staff member will bid on behalf of the long-distance buyer, and once the auction is completed, the buyer is required to pick up the order on the same day by 4 pm.
Long-distance orders can be placed by calling (260) 463-4131 during business hours.
Local buyers come from surrounding towns—and as far away as Fort Wayne.
Clearspring Auction Hours
Produce auctions are held from 8 am–4 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and office hours are from 1–4 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Lunch is from 11:30 am–12:30 pm every day, and the auction does not run during this hour break.
Hay sales occur on Saturdays, beginning at 10 am and going until everything is sold.
For those interested in the average price and quantity of sold produce, auction reports (post-auction) can be heard by calling (260) 463-4113.
Retail Options at Clearspring Auction
Aside from auction items, a line of tables holds retail options for sale.
Retail items at the Clearspring Auction include:
- Farm-fresh Brown Eggs
- Bottles of Locally-sourced Raw Honey
- Jars of Honeycomb
- Pints of Strawberries
- And Small Flats of Succulents and Flowers
These items are available for immediate (cash only) purchase at the window.
Food is also available on-site, including pork burgers, chicken patties, fries, breakfast casserole, hot dogs, tater tots, and fresh cinnamon rolls.
The Clearspring Store
Seeds and liquid herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and sprays are stocked at the Clearspring Store, which is in the same building as the produce auction.
Store Items
Among these items are Bug & Slug Killer, Jobe’s Organics Blood Meal, Captain Jack’s Copper Fungicide, and Miller NutrientExpress.
Books on identifying good or harmful insects in your garden plus the best ways to grow produce are also sold in-store.
Produce packaging—including produce boxes and bags for sweet corn—is sold in bulk and can be ordered by contacting Clearspring during store hours.
Store Hours
The store is open from 1–4 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 8 am–4 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (the same hours as the produce auction).
Clearspring Store hours on weekends are as follows: closed on Saturdays (aside from appointments) and closed on Sundays.
Agricultural Support for Clearspring Farmers
While not directly affiliated with Purdue Extension, Clearspring growers can contact Purdue’s Agricultural team if they have questions about plant diseases or a plant’s underperformance.
The amount of produce sold and produce pricing can also be found in Purdue’s Vegetable Crops Hotline articles, which are updated weekly.
Additionally, Clearspring farmers have a local community to connect with through the auction, whereas in the past, many would have tried their own hand at selling their products through retail.
With the Clearspring Auction in place, farmers are now guaranteed to sell all of their produce to restaurant or storeowners who are looking for these crops weekly.
The History of Clearspring Produce Auction
Clearspring Produce Auction was founded in 1999 by Richard Yoder, Willis Yoder, and Robert Mishler (original auctioneer).
These three visionaries were hoping to provide a better solution for local farmers who wanted to sell fresh produce (and make profit).
Twenty-five years later, Clearspring Produce Auction continues providing a network of buyers—from Lagrange County to Michigan and beyond—for local growers.
Farmers who sell directly to Clearspring (instead of taking the retail route) receive full profit for all their produce or plants on a weekly basis.
In turn, Clearspring auctions off this produce to local or long-distance buyers who use these items in their restaurants, stores, and more.
Show Your Support for Local Farmers
If you’re in the area and hoping to support local farmers, Clearspring Produce Auction is the way to go!
Many of the growers strive to grow their crops without any toxic sprays or chemicals, keeping the produce as close to organic as possible.
The auction is open to anyone on sale days, and as a rule of thumb, prices are reasonable—dropping even lower as flowers and produce go out of season.
So, for those looking for farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, Clearspring is a great way to stock up on the produce of your choice at competitive prices.
If you can’t make it to the Clearspring location, you can still show your support from afar.
Two locations that carry Clearspring produce are Yoder’s Country Market (Centreville, MI) and E & S Sales (Shipshewana, IN).
To place a long-distance order, call Clearspring at (260) 463-4131 or stop by on auction days at 2050 S 300 W, LaGrange, IN 46761 and show your support for local farmers!