If you’re a new farmer, the owner of a small- to medium-sized farm or a tribal producer, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota would appreciate it if you would make time to take a brief survey.

In doing so, your data will supplement the USDA Ag Census, providing information on smaller farms and markets not fully represented.

The survey is the first step in gathering farm information for the Statewide Cooperative Partnership for Local and Regional Markets project, on which the MDA and U-M are collaborators. The survey will help identify market trends and opportunities for small- and midsized farms in Minnesota; support development of data-informed programs and services for small- and midsized farms; and provide recommendations to the state Legislature that support historically underrepresented and undersupported farmers.

“This is a statewide initiative to gather more nuanced data from small and midsized farms that can help identify market opportunities and barriers as we look to reenvision programs and services for local and regional market development,” says Lebo Moore, MDA food and feed safety division. “We currently have the first of three surveys open, and this one is focused on data collection from producers. The other two will collect data from supply chain partners and consumers.”

Farmers that sell at least $500 annually in agricultural products in local market are asked to participate. You can choose between a long or short version of the survey, and you will get paid for your time in the form of an electronic gift card. The short survey will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete; the long survey, 25 to 30 minutes. Only one response per farm is needed.

Take the Minnesota Local and Regional Markets survey.

Farm name, contact and location information is classified as private and is not made public.

The survey is open online until Memorial Day, May 30.

Thom Petersen, ag commissioner, notes the importance of partnerships with local and regional markets to help farmers, retailers, public institutions and consumers in the state.

“This is a real growth opportunity for our ag economy in the coming years, and we need to understand how we can support it," he says.