If you’re a farmer who sells your food directly to consumers, grocery stores, restaurants, distributors, and others, a Statewide Cooperative Partnership for Local and Regional Markets led by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and University of Minnesota (UMN) wants to hear from you this spring.
A recently released survey asks small-, mid-sized- and emerging farmers to share their experiences operating farms and selling in direct-to-consumer and direct-to-institution markets such as farmers’ markets, U-Pick, CSAs, and schools.
Once collected, data will be analyzed collaboratively by the Partnership’s more than 40 member organizations. Results will help identify market trends and opportunities, support the development of programs and services such as the MDA’s Minnesota Grown program, and strengthen recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature to support historically underrepresented and under-supported farmers, Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said.
“We want to build on the partnerships we have with local and regional markets to help farmers, retailers, public institutions, and consumers in Minnesota,” he said. “This is a real growth opportunity for our ag economy in the coming years, and we need to understand how we can support it.”
According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, Minnesota has about 3,500 farms that sell directly to consumers, while more than 630 sell directly to retail outlets such as grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and other institutions. These sales generate an estimated $184 million in economic activity each year.
The survey, available now for Minnesota farmers and ranchers involved in direct sales, will supplement the U.S. Census of Agriculture administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is designed to report on the nuances of smaller producers and their primary markets that are not captured by the Ag Census. The Partnership survey takes less than 30 minutes and respondents will be compensated for their time.
A grant from the USDA’s Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program is funding the three-year partnership, now in its second year. The Partnership previously gathered background research on the state’s direct food sales markets and will analyze the data gained from this survey and form recommendations in its final year.
More information is available at the MDA’s Statewide Cooperative Partnership web page.
To take the survey, go to: https://z.umn.edu/statewide-producer-survey
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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Larry.Schumacher@state.mn.us
Curso de capacitación virtual para agricultores – Virtual, Spanish FSMA Grower Training
This is a two-day (02/12/22 & 02/19/22) Spanish-language Produce Safety Rule Grower Training.
Este curso se realizará el 12 y el 19 de febrero del 2022, de 9a.m. - 1:30 p.m. hora central, ambos sábados. Este curso es para productores de frutas y vegetales interesados en aprender sobre la Norma de inocuidad de los productos agrícolas frescos de la ley de Modernización en la Inocuidad de Alimentos (o FSMA) y las Buenas Prácticas Agrícolas (BPA). Los temas del curso incluyen -
- Fuentes de contaminación en la granja y microorganismos de preocupación
- Requisitos de la norma de inocuidad de los productos agrícolas frescos de FSMA
- Métodos prácticos para minimizar los riesgos de contaminación en la granja
- Salud e higiene de los trabajadores; manejo de agua de uso agrícola y de mejoradores de suelo
El curso es gratis e incluye el manual del curso y la constancia de finalización de la capacitación. Para obtener dicha constancia se deberá estar presente durante los dos días del curso y tener el manual con usted.
Cada participante necesitará tener conectividad a Internet con suficiente velocidad y consistencia para participar plenamente por Zoom, y audio y video para que pueda escuchar, ver, y hablar con los instructores. Los participantes serán monitoreados visualmente durante todo el curso para asegurar que estén presentes y atentos.