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!
Later renewal 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.
Join the MDA on January 11 and 12, 2024, at River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, MN. Network and learn from more than 30 educational sessions focused on organic crops, livestock, dairy, fruits and vegetables, marketing, and more! This year’s keynote speakers are Dr. Daphne Miller, a family physician and research scientist who is focused on transforming our food system from the soil up, and Carolyn Olson, an experienced organic farmer from Cottonwood, MN, and chair of the Organic Advisory Task Force. Early-bird pricing is available until December 1.
 Call for Farmers with Excess Produce
Second Harvest Heartland is the region's largest food bank, providing 94% of the food distributed by more than 1,000 food shelves and hunger-relief programs in MN and western WI.
Help us make hunger history by donating your excess produce to help our neighbors in need!
- Most donations are full truckload (FTL), but we may be able to accommodate smaller donations.
- Your farm may qualify for funding from the State of Minnesota to offset your harvest and packaging costs.
Visit our Farmers & Growers page or contact Emily Tucker, Midwest Food Hub Specialist, at etucker@2harvest.org for more information.
 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. Members who join after October 1 get the rest of the year free.
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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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 the end of December, pre-order a case now!
A digital version will be posted on our website in the next two weeks for members and consumers to browse online.
We are pleased to introduce 22 new members who have joined Minnesota Grown since August. With more than 180 new members joining so far this year, membership has reached an all-time high of 1,347 members! We are honored to serve and promote so many farms, farmers' markets, and businesses selling Minnesota-grown and -raised products. Join us in welcoming these new members and celebrating the outstanding quality and diversity of local agriculture in our state!
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