Behind the research: Strengthening local and regional markets for Minnesota’s agricultural producers

As someone interested in sustainable food systems, consumer economics, and food marketing, Applied Economics Professor Hikaru Peterson, PhD, contributes to research that touches on many aspects of our daily lives – from food supply issues to consumption patterns to food waste. We talked to her about a specific project she’s currently supporting called the Statewide Cooperative Partnership, co-led by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota.

Tell us about the Statewide Cooperative Partnership. How would you describe the project to those who haven’t heard of it? What is your role in the work?

The ultimate goal of the project is to strengthen local and regional markets for agricultural producers in Minnesota. To this end, we are bringing partnering organizations together and have conducted a year-long data collection on local and regional markets from producers, supply chain businesses and institutions, and consumers. We are in the final year of the project where we are collectively learning from the data to identify data-informed priority action areas for strengthening local and regional markets. I am a member of the core team with two colleagues from the MDA and ApEc graduate student Casey McNichols, and I lead the data collection and reporting efforts. 

The Partnership outlines one of its goals as supporting historically underrepresented and under-supported farmers. Who will be most impacted by this particular effort and why?

Currently, the programs to support agriculture are designed for farmers with operations that are documented in the Agricultural Census. Data on farmers who are historically underrepresented and their experiences could guide the agencies and other organizations to provide support and services that better address the needs and experiences of these farmers.

What have you/has the Partnership team learned thus far since the research began in 2020?

Our producer survey results confirm our hunch that many smaller farms, who are more active in local and regional markets through direct sales to consumers and institutions, are not well represented in the Agricultural Census. Of almost 500 producers who responded to our survey, only 37% participated in the 2017 Agricultural Census. Our producers operate at a much smaller scale and sell their products directly to consumers and institutions much more prevalently than what is reported in the Agricultural Census. They are much more racially and ethnically diverse than those documented in the Agricultural Census.

How do you envision the outcomes of this project evolving as you continue to uncover new information?

As we make data summaries accessible for the public, we are proceeding with data analysis. One line of investigation is examining if there are statistical associations between farm characteristics and their operators’ participation in the Agricultural Census to predict how our Minnesota agriculture might look by expanding access to the Agricultural Census. Another work is deepening our understanding of Minnesotan’s preferences toward local foods today and sharing the findings widely with supply chain businesses to better meet their demand.

Where do you hope to be with this work in 5 years? 

I would like to see greater resources allocated to reporting market data that are relevant to small and medium-sized farm businesses. Quality market data that are current, representative, transparent, and accessible require sustained, long-term investment from all sectors that care about local and sustainable food systems. It is my hope that our findings serve as fodder for these investments.

This work is funded by the USDA Federal State Marketing Improvement Program. Learn more about the Statewide Cooperative Partnership for Local and Regional Markets project on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website.