Berry Growers Survey

Hello berry growers and friends,

We hope this email finds you well and enjoying the mild and warm winter that we all have been having. We have been busy this winter working collectively to advance the growth of berries in the Midwest.

To gain some understanding of where berry processing infrastructure is needed, the University of Wisconsin Emerging Crops Coalition, the Savanna Institute, the Midwest Elderberry Coop, Food Finance Institute, and the American Aronia Berry Association are sponsoring a survey sent to berry growers throughout the Midwest.

The survey is anonymous, and we would greatly appreciate your participation as soon as possible, and before March 1st. Responses will inform grant applications due in early March, and immediate responses help us strategize the most effective projects for priority funding.

In particular, we are working on a couple of collaborative grant applications for small fruit infrastructure and equipment in WI and MN (the USDA’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant) and are looking to see what current and anticipated supply of berries are and where they are located, and what demand for certain processing or equipment might exist.

Here is the link to the survey (respond before March 1st):

Additionally, the responses might tell us that there does not exist a strong case for certain applications or equipment, or that there are strong cases for other types of support, which is also very valuable information because it allows us to approach collectively with a different strategy. 

If you have received a request to complete this survey from another partner, please only submit one survey per grower.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration in filling out the survey quickly, and we hope to be able to update the group shortly with anonymized analysis and results, alongside updates related to our continued collaborative efforts and happenings for berries and small fruit in the Midwest.

Sincerely,

PJ Connolly
Business Analyst
[email protected]
(608) 448-6432 ext. 218