Pesticide and Fertilizer Survey Cover Letter (Minnesota)

August 16, 2021
Dear Minnesota Producer:
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is collecting data to better understand nitrogen and pesticide use on
corn and soybean acres in Minnesota. This 2020 Minnesota Best Management Practices Survey is an important step to
gather facts about corn and soybean production practices directly from farmers. The MDA actively promotes Best
Management Practices (BMP) that protect water quality while at the same time maintaining efficiency and farm
profitability. It’s critical that all recommendations and policy decisions are rooted in real-world Minnesota data, so
please take a few minutes to fill this form out and send it in. We want your real-world experiences represented.
Minnesota farmers often implement the most current technology, research, and products. With that in mind, a random
sample of 7,600 Minnesota farms, which normally have corn and/or soybean acres, were included in this project. That is
roughly 1 out of every 4 corn/soybean farms, so a cross section of farms by size, location, and adoption of different
technologies are given the opportunity to be included.

Better Response = Better Data = Better Decisions
All your farm’s info will be kept strictly confidential and only used for statistical purposes. As you can see, the enclosed
form does not include your name, so the farm information you send back will be anonymous and only combined with all
other reports to create district and state level data tables. No individual farms will be identified in the results.
Minnesota rules and statutes require MDA to measure the adoption rates for the Best Management Practices. This
project helps us do that. You can review the previous reports by going to the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us and
search “farmers surveys.”
If you have questions or for more information, please call 651-261-1993.
Thank you for your help with this effort and for all you do to produce an abundant and safe food supply for all of us.
Sincerely,

Thom Petersen, Commissioner
Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Cooperating with the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for data collection services.

625 ROBERT STREET NORTH, SAINT PAUL, MN 55155-2538  651-201-6000 or 1-800-967-2474  WWW.MDA.STATE.MN.US
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this information is available in alternative forms of communication upon request by calling
651-201-6000. TTY users can call the Minnesota Relay Service at 711. The MDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.