There will be several important changes to the Minnesota Grown directory and the license and listing renewal process later this year. Learn about what's coming, prepare for the changes, and ask your questions now!
Adjusted timeline
Renewals will begin by December 15, 2023, and be due by January 15, 2024. Our tech partners are working on exciting changes to the Minnesota Grown online directories (outlined below), slated for completion by December 15. Thus, renewals of Minnesota Grown licenses and listings for 2024 will open mid-December. Members will receive notice via email when the system is ready for renewals to begin. Licenses and listings must be renewed by January 15, 2024, to remain active.
New directory features
1. Producer identity filters (pilot project): In response to requests for this feature from buyers, we are piloting filters that will allow buyers to search for producers by identity. Providing this information is optional. The information will be public on your directory listing and can be removed at any future time. We will be collecting feedback on this pilot throughout 2024 and will have an opportunity to fine tune the filters or change course for 2025 renewals. Read more about this pilot project.
2. Accepts SNAP/EBT filter: SNAP/EBT recipients can now use the Minnesota Grown directory to search for producers and markets that accept SNAP! If you accept SNAP, select this option on your listings when you renew to ensure you appear in these searches. You must accept SNAP directly, with your own processing machine, in order to select this listing option. (Market vendors who only accept SNAP tokens at a market are not eligible, as the market should be listed instead.)
3. New products - available for consumers to search by product:
- Eggs (Goose) – under Specialty Products
- Ground cherries – under Fresh Produce
- Lavender – under Gifts, Decorations, and Personal Care
- Luffa – under Gifts, Decorations, and Personal Care
- Sunflower Fields – under Farm Activities and Services
- Sweetgrass – under Gifts, Decorations, and Personal Care
- Cannabis Products -- new product category
- CBD Products
- Hemp
- Seeds
- THC Products
- Other Cannabis/Cannabinoid Products
Questions?
Contact us at mngrown.mda@state.mn.us or 651-201-6140. We're happy to answer questions now to help you prepare, and to assist you with the process once renewals begin in mid-December.
 Refer New Members, Win Bonuses
Who do you know that is not a Minnesota Grown member but should be? Refer them now and you could win a referral bonus! All new members are asked how they learned about Minnesota Grown in a welcome email. If new members who join between now and December 31, 2023, reply and mention your name, you'll be entered to win.
The first 25 referrals will win a Minnesota Grown waist apron for both the referring member and the new member. Plus, all existing members mentioned in referrals between now and December 31 will be entered to win an extra $300 in Labeling and Signage Cost-Share funds for fiscal year 2024!
Not sure how to ask? We've made it easy! Just copy and paste the text in italics below into an email or text and you're all set!
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Hey there! Are you a Minnesota Grown member? If not, you should think about joining. They're running a deal where anyone who joins now gets the rest of 2023 free. We've been members for a while and appreciate the free marketing materials, cost-shares for marketing expenses, and listings in their online directories. It's a good value for $20 or $60 a year, depending on membership level. Plus, if you mention my name when you join, we could both get a free apron! Check it out at minnesotagrown.com/join. Don't forget to reply to the welcome email they send you to tell them I referred you!
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 Submit Your Product Listings for Our Online Gift Guide - Due October 20!
We may not be singing carols yet, but planning has begun for Minnesota Grown’s annual online gift guide. If you have a product that can be given as a gift, we want to hear about it -- items for the kitchen, home and garden, wearables, and beyond are all welcome. Think outside (or inside) the box! Do you offer gift boxes, CSAs, winter décor? There is room for all kinds of items in the gift guide. Items must be submitted by October 20, 2023, for inclusion in the initial release of the online guide. Find full requirements and details on the submission page.
Living Local is a free seasonal magazine by Minnesota Grown featuring recipes, seasonal highlights, farmer features, and more to inspire consumers to live local.
The winter edition will include Minnesota Grown gift ideas; tips for picking your perfect Christmas tree; and features on Minnesota wine, bison, fiber, holiday décor, and buying meat in bulk.
If you can distribute at least 50 copies to consumers between mid-November and mid-December, pre-order a case now! Orders will ship in November.
A digital version will also be posted on our website for members and consumers to browse online.
There are still booth spaces available for the region’s largest local food festival. The FEAST! Local Foods network has big plans for their 10th year, and it’s set to be the biggest Marketplace yet: food & beverages from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa; plus cooking demos, music, kids’ activities, craft alcohol tastings, prize drawings, and awarding of the FEAST! 2023 People’s Choice winner.
FEAST! Marketplace runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester.
Don't have capacity to participate as a vendor, but still want to check out the event? Get tickets in advance or sign up to volunteer.
Minnesota Grown’s mission is to promote you! The program runs year-round statewide marketing campaigns to encourage Minnesotans to buy locally and shop seasonally. Here are a few highlights from our recent marketing efforts:
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Media coverage: Thanks to our partnership with a dedicated public relations firm, Minnesota Grown members and products have received significant media coverage in recent months with stories on stations including KSTP, WCCO, KMSP, WDIO, KAAL, and KTTC. For a sampling, watch a feature about Sekapp Orchard in Rochester or pick up some pumpkin care tips on Minnesota Live.
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Television and streaming: Video ads were run for farmers’ markets, apples, and fall activities on YouTube and TV networks throughout the state. Watch the latest farmers’ market ad for a taste.
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Pay-per-click ads: Paid ads on search engines like Google and Bing garnered 625,000+ views in September, resulting in 19,000 visits to the Minnesota Grown Directory where consumers can find you.
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Online Directory Engagement: In September alone, our online directories were visited over 145,000 times. 42,000 of these views came from first-time visitors looking for local farms and markets.
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