The MDA and University of Minnesota (UMN) co-lead the Statewide Cooperative Partnership. We are working together to strengthen the relationship between our institutions and support small- and mid-sized farmers in Minnesota. Our collaboration is creating a more equitable approach for collecting and sharing baseline data on local and regional markets.
Key contacts
- Jennifer Alexander, MDA
- Kate Seybold, MDA
- Hikaru Peterson, UMN
- Casey McNichols, UMN Graduate Assistant
Dr. Hikaru Hanawa Peterson, Professor of Applied Economics in the UMN College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, is the lead researcher on this initiative. Since 2022, she’s worked closely with the MDA and Cooperative Partners to:
- Design the engagement plan and survey instruments to collect baseline data across the local and regional market supply chain.
- Supervise a graduate research assistant who supported research and data collection activities during the first two years of the grant.
Farmers’ Market 360 Metric Project
Dr. Peterson also leads the Farmers' Market 360 Metric Project (FM360), which provides markets with the data they need to make more informed decisions and better communicate their value to the local food system. The FM360 approach and survey tools have been co-developed with collaborating farmers’ markets in Minnesota.
Through the Minnesota Grown program, we’ve partnered with FM360 to help with the cost of their collaborative metrics service. The Farmers’ Market Cost-Share Opportunity is available to markets on a first-come, first-served basis.
Partners
The Statewide Cooperative Partnership includes more than 40 partner organizations that provide input on the diverse experiences of small- and mid-sized producers, supply chain businesses, and consumers across the state.
Some of our partners include:
- Center for Farm Financial Management
- Compeer Financial
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
- Hmong American Partnership
- Land Stewardship Project
- Latino Economic Development Center
- Minnesota Farmers Union
- Minnesota Department of Health
- Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association
- Minnesota Grocers Association
- Minnesota Grown
- Minnesota Grown Advisory Council
- Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture
- Renewing the Countryside
- Sprout MN
- Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension - Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
