Introducing: New MN Ag Policy 101 Resources

The MinneAg Network is on a mission to lift up community members and highlight their solutions to nurture vibrant food systems that provide access to sufficient, safe, culturally appropriate, and nutritious food while developing local supply chains that allow small to mid-scale farmers access to markets.  As part of this vision, we aim to demystify policy-making processes and create resources and tools that Minnesotans can use to make their voices heard in state decision-making conversations.  

With input from our members, MinneAg has designed a set of MN Agriculture Policy 101 Resources to help stakeholders understand how food and farm systems decisions are made in our state, and where there are opportunities to get involved and make their voices heard. We are excited to share these accessible, multilingual, actionable resources to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of civic engagement, support a wider group of individuals who want to engage and get involved, and offer representation for emerging and small and mid-size farmers in Minnesota’s decision-making spaces. The new resources include: 

• Intro to the Minneag Network: We convene Minnesota farm and food system organizations that prioritize agricultural practices to nourish people and planet, strengthening relationships and building capacity for civic engagement. Learn how to join the Network, get our newsletter, and participate in legislative session update calls to stay in the loop.
• How to Write a Letter of Support or opposition to legislation that you care about, with sample language.
• How to Contact your Legislator, with directions to identify who represents you, how to reach out, and template language to figure out what to say.
• How to Testify, including info on how to prepare, what to expect when you get there, and tips and tricks to make your comments effective.
• How to Write an Action Alert to get your community engaged in decisions that impact them.
• Policy Process Resources with links to key information.
• Navigating the Minnesota Capitol, with information on where different government branches are housed and where to park. 

Each of the resources are also translated into Hmong, Somali, and Spanish. We know further engagement and support is needed to allow all Minnesotans to participate in state decision-making processes, but we are excited to take a step in the right direction with access to multilingual resources.  

In addition to creating these specific resources, MinneAg also worked with local graphic designer Christina Vang of La Bang Studio to create a network logo, document templates and visual identity rooted in our values, and to overhaul the Minneag.org website to make information easy to find. We also worked with local artist Katrina Kubeczko to design a tote bag to carry all these resources on trips to the State Capitol. The MinneAg Network members contributed their perspectives on what resources would be most helpful for their communities, and the resources were created with key contributions from 2025 MinneAg interns Molly McMullen and Meghan Anderson. 

State policy and decision-making spaces for food and agriculture create structural barriers to engagement, resulting in a systemic lack of equity, empowerment, and inclusion in decisions that affect everyone. We know that finding time to engage in systems work is challenging for farmers, community members, and small organizations whose work is focused on immediate and practical needs, such as growing food, supporting land and market access, and ensuring food security. Our hope is these resources will provide support to make it easier for community members to participate in state decision-making that will impact them. 

These civic engagement educational resources were created with support in part from a USDA Regional Food System Partnerships grant and an Agroecology Fund grant.