ABOUT MINNESOTA GROWN

Strategic Priority: A category of work for Minnesota Grown to focus on to achieve their practical vision in the next three-to-five-years.

Goal: Using the SMARTE framework, a goal is a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely, and equity-focused way of achieving the strategic priority in alignment with the practical vision.

Strategies: The strategic ways in which the goals will be achieved in alignment with the overall practical vision.

Collaborative partners: Key partnerships that will be necessary for Minnesota Grown to achieve their goals. Some of the partners listed are established and some will be new partnerships for Minnesota Grown to develop.

Priority populations: Communities, populations, and groups (i.e., non-produce producers, greater Minnesota producers, producers of culturally relevant foods, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)) that Minnesota Grown will identify and use to focus their efforts on rather than using a broad approach to reaching all consumers or producers.

Why this priority is important

Minnesota Grown’s mission is to promote quality Minnesota grown products for the mutual benefit of producers and consumers. Access to markets and customers is essential for Minnesota producers to sustain and grow their businesses, and access to Minnesota grown products supports the health and wellbeing of Minnesota residents and communities. Data collected by the Statewide Cooperative Partnership for Local & Regional Markets shows that 91% of Minnesota Grown members find value in the program and 80% of consumers recognize the Minnesota Grown logo. However, data also shows that many supply chain partners and consumers experience barriers to buying local food and have interest to buy more. Building on past programmatic experience and success, Minnesota Grown can use more inclusive and targeted strategies to expand marketing efforts and reach diverse communities in Minnesota. Furthermore, Minnesota Grown can expand partnerships to build demand for Minnesota Grown products in schools, retail stores, restaurants, and other wholesale venues.

What we’re going to do about it

To address this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will focus on achieving the following two goals in the next three to five years.

Goal 1: Minnesota Grown will expand marketing to priority consumer populations through inclusive and focused strategies.

To achieve the first goal for this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will work collaboratively with partners such as advertising contractors, producer associations, and community organizations that are focused on supporting priority populations to address the following strategies:

• - Identify priority consumer populations and create consumer profiles for each.
• - Identify key messages and effective ways to communicate those messages with priority populations.
• - Implement and evaluate marketing strategies for how, when, and where to buy local.

Minnesota Grown will know they are effectively achieving this goal by seeing a steady increase in the number of website visitors who take action to contact a producer (i.e., call, email, visit website, or get driving directions), measured annually through website conversions.

Goal 2: Minnesota Grown will build demand for Minnesota Grown products in a competitive marketplace.

To achieve the second goal for this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will work collaboratively with retailers, schools, restaurants, agritourism businesses and associations, and other partners to address the following strategies:

• - Review current statutes and rules for Minnesota Grown to evaluate whether they should be updated to provide more clear guidance for what value-added products are eligible.
• - Expand collaboration and program activities to support growth in wholesale markets.
• - Support development in growing markets (i.e., agritourism, culturally important foods, non-food agricultural products).

Minnesota Grown will know they are effectively achieving this goal by seeing a steady increase in the number of online wholesale directory visitors who take action to contact a producer (i.e., call, email, visit website, or get driving directions), measured annually through website conversions.

Why this priority is important

Promoting Minnesota products for the benefit of producers is part of Minnesota Grown’s mission. Member surveys show high satisfaction among producers who participate in the program, with 90% or more agreeing that the program is achieving its mission and that they find program services valuable. However, broader producer surveys showed farmers who are BIPOC, women, and new and beginning farmers were less likely to be members of Minnesota Grown. Additionally, those emerging farmers who are Minnesota Grown members were less likely to be aware of all the membership benefits available to them. Furthermore, some producers of non-produce products (e.g., meat, fiber, nursery products, etc.) and several in Greater Minnesota expressed feeling underrepresented by program outreach, advertising, and promotional activities. To better serve all producers, Minnesota Grown can work to improve communication and engagement with emerging farmers, non-produce producers, and those in Greater Minnesota, and tailor program services to meet these producers’ marketing needs more equitably.

What we’re going to do about it

To address this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will focus on achieving the following two goals in the next three to five years.

Goal 1: Minnesota Grown will expand member outreach and communication methods to emerging farmers, non-produce producers, and greater Minnesota, in a minimum of three languages.

To achieve the first goal for this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will work collaboratively with partners such as MDA programs, producer associations, and community and cultural organizations that work with emerging farmers, non-produce producers, and producers in greater Minnesota to address the following strategies:

• - Create producer profiles for priority populations.
• - Develop and implement strategic outreach methods to reach and recruit priority populations based on the producer profiles.
• - Pilot mini grants for partner organizations to conduct outreach to priority populations.

Minnesota Grown will know they are effectively achieving this goal by seeing a steady increase in the number of members that are emerging farmers, non-produce producers, and in Greater Minnesota annually as well as an increase in the number of languages and communication methods Minnesota Grown provides outreach information in annually.

Goal 2: Minnesota Grown will bridge and expand resources to producers to support marketing and profitability and encourage them to tell the Minnesota Grown story.

To achieve the second goal for this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will work collaboratively with partners such as MDA and other government programs, producer associations, and community and cultural organizations that work to support marketing skill-building and profitability support for direct marketing producers in Minnesota to address the following strategies:

• - Compile and promote a focused toolkit of resources for producers to support marketing and profitability.
• - Develop and pilot membership pathways created within Salesforce to automate support for members in a variety of ways based on their needs, called a "Journey of Support".
• - Promote the value of the brand to current members.

Minnesota Grown will know they are effectively achieving this goal by seeing a steady increase in the level of satisfaction with members services, measured through member surveys.

Why this priority is important

The Minnesota Grown Program has been in existence for over 35 years with an annual operating budget of approximately $500,000 including an annual legislative appropriation of $186,000 which requires a match of at least $1 of private contributions to each $4 of state money. While membership numbers are holding steady, in the last year the program saw ~25% growth in activities that help producers use the Minnesota Grown logo, a 15% increase in visits to the online directory, and increased costs of program materials and services due to inflation and other economic pressures. To maintain the current level of service, and to increase services and grow membership as outlined in the strategic priorities described above, the program will need to grow capacity through increased resources and collaboration.

What we’re going to do about it

To address this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will focus on achieving the following two goals in the next three to five years.

Goal 1: Minnesota Grown will secure additional funding and other resources from state, federal, foundation, corporate, and other sources.

To achieve the first goal for this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will work collaboratively with partners such as the Minnesota Grown Promotion Group, MDA leadership, the Emerging Farmers Office, and other partners to address the following strategies:

• - Put forth a proposal to MDA leadership for increased state resources for the program and support them in advocating for the proposal in the Governor's budget.
• - Identify and apply for appropriate grants and partner wherever possible.
• - Identify funding for scholarships for producers to apply for membership.

Minnesota Grown will know they are effectively achieving this goal by seeing a steady increase in their total operating budget, with a goal of a 40% increase in the next five years.

Goal 2: Minnesota Grown will invest in technology to increase staff capacity to support members, customize messaging, and collect actionable data about members and consumers.

To achieve the second goal for this strategic priority, Minnesota Grown will work collaboratively with partners such as Minnesota Information Technology (MNIT), the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Salesforce Development Team, and website implementation partners to address the following strategies:

• - Incorporate Salesforce into administration and automation of member services.
• - Incorporate Salesforce into administration and automation of marketing activities.
• - Invest in new technology to improve and streamline delivery of member services.

Minnesota Grown will know they are effectively achieving this goal by seeing a steady increase in the number of activities that are automated by Salesforce and other technologies measured annually.

Minnesota Grown is grateful for the time, expertise, and contributions of the participants of the strategic planning sessions and strategic planning design team. These participants are listed below.

Community Participants

Karly Ackerman, Minnesota Grocers Association

Brianna Burns, Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association

Wililyn Dowell, Dowell Farms, Grand Rapids Farmers Market Hub

Jenny Ellenbecker, Round Lake Vineyard, Minnesota Grape Growers Association, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

Kevin Edberg, The Berry Patch, Cooperative Development Services

Jim Golden, St. Paul Growers Association / St. Paul Farmers Market, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

Mark Hansen, Hansen Tree Farm, Minnesota Christmas Tree Association

Jon Horsman, Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

John Krueger, Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm, Minnesota Christmas Tree Association, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

Mhonpaj Lee, Mhonpaj's Garden

Gary Pahl, Pahl's Market, Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

Erika Resendiz Alonso, Fond du Lac Tribal Community College Bimaaji’idiwin Ojibwe Garden Program

Rachel Sannerud, Pluck Flower Farm, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

Bruce Savage, Spirit Lake Native Farms

Adam Ulbricht, Minnesota Bison Association, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

Nancy Xiong, Hmong American Partnership

Kathy Zeman, Simple Harvest Farm, Minnesota Farmers' Market Association, Minnesota Grown Advisory Committee

Staff, Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing and Development Division

Mallory Forseth, Minnesota Grown Program Manager

Paul Hugunin, Division Director

Will Hartnett, Minnesota Grown Student Worker

Christina Iliev, Commodity Council Coordinator

Emily Jerve, Marketing Supervisor

Katie Mikesh, Office and Administrative Support

Kate Seybold, Regional Marketing Specialist

Rachel Wandrei, Minnesota Grown Marketing Manager