Real Time Farms is a user-generated, online food guide that helps you follow your food from farm to fork. They help consumers know the story of their food and provide tools for producers and retailers to share the story of their food. Farms are the heart of Real Time Farms.

Real Time Farms was launched by Ex-Google Android Senior Engineer, Karl Rosaen, in April 2010 with the hope of improving food transparency.  “I think that if people know more about where their food comes, they will naturally make decisions that are healthier for themselves and the environment” Rosaen states. With feedback from farmers, food artisans, restauranteurs, and users alike, they have re-designed the website and added a multitude of new features that they launched today.
Keep reading to learn more!
1) Show the world what your farm offers. Share pictures from your farm and rich, detailed information about your growing practices and where people can find your goods now.
2) Free publicity for your farm. It will never cost anything to add your farm and all of its information to Real Time Farms. Once your farm is up there, people can search you locally and nationally, and soon anywhere they are, using the Real Time Farms mobile apps.
3) Let your customers market for you. Creating a farm profile on Real Time Farms will allow customers to help you market your goods. They can upload and share pics from your farm or your goods at market - share their enthusiasm, and become an ambassador for your farm!
4) Connect with your customers and allow them to show their support. We don’t do reviews. We want to generate and grow positivity. We allow people to show their enthusiasm for you farm, by giving them the opportunity to identify themselves as a fan of your farm, and also indicate if they volunteer or work at your farm.
5) Raise awareness about the importance of local, healthy food.
You know how important local food is. Help others in your community learn more and make healthy, sustainable choices.
Since launch, hundreds of farms have created profiles, market managers are beginning to promote farmers by sharing market photos, and users are sharing their enthusiasm by posting their photos and info they know on the site. In fact, since launch in April 2010, users have contributed 10K+ photos. Add your farm, and help people find it! Real Time Farms launched their five-photo campaign a few months ago to get five photos of every farm across the country. Let’s help make it happen and make it easy for everyone to learn about where their food comes from.
Written by Cara Rosaen, Director of Vegetable Outreach