BOISE — Continued commitment from farmers and restaurant owners can help the local food system grow despite the challenges it faces, FARE Idaho panelists said during a meeting last week.

The nonprofit’s acronym stands for Food, Agriculture, Restaurants and Establishments. The Boise-based group formed about three years ago to support family farms and independent restaurants, retailers and food and beverage producers. It held its first Field to Fork Festival Jan. 19.

“Nothing is close in Idaho,” a challenge to efficient distribution, said Wilder Jones of the Wild Spaces micro dairy and King’s Crown Organic farms in the Glenns Ferry-King Hill area, which is between Twin Falls and Boise.

Using distributors can boost efficiency but may create other costs, such as potentially losing control over the product before it gets to the consumer, he said.

“A really hard challenge as a producer is to let someone else do what you should be doing,” Jones said.

For in-state business, his family uses a network of local restaurants, grocery stores and drop points at spots such as shopping centers. “It works because we all have a similar ideology and mission,” he said.

Boise nonprofit Global Gardens supports beginning farmers from diverse backgrounds by providing access to land, training and the market. Its small staff makes marketing a challenge, said Karyn Levin, food hub coordinator.

Yellow Brick Cafe in Twin Falls gets its meat, dairy and produce from local or regional farms, owner Kathy McRae said. She found a citrus grower fairly close, part of a recent move to add unique offerings.

The restaurant and its suppliers have partnerships that work well partly because each party keeps the other’s needs and capabilities in mind, she said. Distribution has been “the greatest heartache,” though a strong partnership can improve the situation by adding value — such as when a restaurant forecasts its needs for the coming season.

Chefs could work closely with farmers to buy from the part of the crop that doesn’t look as good as the high-graded portion and work out a fair price, Moscow restaurateur George Skandalos said. This would build trust and leave more of the prime crop available for retail sale.

Using less common crops such as winter kale is another opportunity for chefs and restaurants, he said.

Farmers who list food as available to restaurants and retailers risk losing a walk-up sale at full price. Online platforms help buyers and sellers find each other and track availability, but they work best when available crop volumes and timetables are updated on a set schedule or as soon as a change occurs, said Justin Buckley, FARE Idaho program manager.

Selling locally grown food means neighborhoods and growers benefit, said Melinda Schab, general manager of the Moscow Food Co-op.

Buying food produced close to home helps local economies, said McRae. She enjoys letting the community “know the value of local food.”