CHESTERHILL, Ohio — The Chesterhill Produce Auction has invested in local farmers and provided southeast Ohio residents with a place to purchase fresh produce for 20 years.
CPA, a social enterprise owned and operated by Rural Action, hosts regular auctions during the summer where small- and large-scale growers from across Southeast Ohio and beyond can sell their fresh produce and other products, often in large quantities. The auctions are held at 4 p.m. every Monday and Thursday, from May to October.
Jean and Marvin Konkle founded the auction in 2004, hosting the initial auction in 2005 under a tent. When the Konkles retired in 2010, Rural Action purchased the business.
Since then, Rural Action has expanded the scope of operations both in programming and physical space, including building a barn in 2018 for livestock auctions and incorporating specialty auctions for wood products and other specialty items.
And the sales reflect those expansions: In 2024, 274 sellers grossed over half a million dollars in sales — an increase of 45% in sales and more than double the number of sellers from 2014, according to Chesterhill Produce Auction’s 2024 annual report.
More site improvements are ahead. Last year, the auction was awarded a nearly $1 million Appalachian Community Grant to install a septic system and bathroom, expand the auction floor expansion and upgrade the livestock barn, among other work.
“We’re at max capacity at the height of summer with our floor space, so it’ll be really nice to have that addition,” said CPA Director Jessica Dotson.
Dotson also said the space could be used as a venue for weddings and other events, which could expand business ventures as well.
Dotson is most excited, though, about installing a commercial-grade community kitchen, where CPA can hold classes in food canning and preservation. The kitchen also could be available for community members to rent.
“People would actually be able to make a product that they could then sell,” Dotson said.
Food Access Manager Shane Benton encourages anyone to stop by the auction.
“If you’re new to auctions and you want to come and see what it’s like without feeling overwhelmed, it’s a great place to come to,” Benton said.
Supplying local restaurants
Many area restaurants get their produce from the Chesterhill Produce Auction, including Casa Nueva in Uptown Athens.
Al Schmidt used to make the 60-mile round trip drive from Athens to Chesterhill to buy Casa’s day-to-day produce. Now, however, customers can order online, indicating what they want and how much they are willing to pay for it. Online ordering allows for free pick up at select locations and delivery rates range between 50 cents and $1 per mile, depending on the cost of the order.
“They either deliver it to [Casa Nueva] or deliver it to our storage facility and fridge at ACEnet. So that’s so convenient,” Schmidt said.
Prices at the auction have gone up as more restaurants (and Ohio University) have discovered the auction, Schmidt said.
“But that’s good for the overall food system because people are paying, the farmers are benefiting from a better price for their crop,” Schmidt said.
Produce to the people
Among the competitors at the auction is Rural Action itself. The nonprofit buys food at the auction for various programs that provide fresh produce to food pantries, healthcare patients and small, rural retail stores such as gas stations. About 95% of the produce for those programs comes from the auction, he said.
The Farm to Food Pantry program delivers produce to 60 food pantries in nine counties across southeast Ohio. The program is part of Ohio CAN, a state project that gives grants to members of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks to buy food from local farmers at fair market price.
In this case the SE Ohio Foodbank is the organization which receives the Ohio CAN funding and redistributes it to support the program.
Athens County Food Pantry President Karin Bright said she is grateful for the pantry’s long-standing relationship with Chesterhill Produce Auction and Rural Action. Bright said Rural Action buyers purchase produce from the auction on the food pantry’s behalf.
“Anytime we can get good quality produce, it’s very important for us,” Bright said. “Obviously as a food pantry, the vast majority of what we are able to serve is shelf stable food.”
The Athens County Food Pantry is staffed by volunteers, Bright said, so it’s often not feasible for volunteers to drive to the auction. The Farm to Food Pantry’s doorstep delivery has alleviated that issue.
”Those produce items are really, really critically important for the people we serve because it’s very expensive to buy in the store,” Bright said.
Another Rural Action program that benefits from the CPA is Produce Prescriptions. Healthcare providers in nine counties across Appalachian Ohio and West Virginia can send patients to local clinics for fresh produce along with recipes and utensils.
This year, Rural Action is launching a pilot program at the Mary Hills Clinic in Nelsonville to offer 20 patients a nine-month program rather than the standard 16-week program. Hocking Athens Perry Community Action is helping to source produce during the extended time.
Benton said he is working with researchers at the University of Michigan to apply for a larger grant to support a five-year study of the program.
“What I think and feel is that if you give people healthy food on the front end, you can spend less on pharmaceuticals on the back end,” Benton said.
Auction produce also turns up at small stores, gas stations and pop-up stands in more remote areas through Rural Action’s Country Fresh Stops. Benton said he is always searching for new locations to add to that list.
Benton said he is mostly trying to “maintain and sustain” the projects he manages now, which means finding new grant funding, though.
Editors Note: This story was updated on 4/28/2025 to better reflect the role of HAPCAP and the SE Ohio Foodbank
