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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is encouraging farmers to take part in its annual pesticide and fertilizer survey. This year the survey will focus on best management practices (BMPs) for corn and soybean farmers. Due to COVID-19, this year the survey will be a mailed survey with a follow-up phone call for non-responses. The data helps the MDA track the awareness, adoption, and use of nitrogen and pesticides BMPs and provides guidance to education and research programs, according to a press release.

The mailed survey is being sent this week to the 7,600 Minnesota farmers selected for this project. Farmers that have not returned their questionnaire by mail will be contacted by phone in mid-September.

The survey is conducted for the MDA by the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service out of their regional offices in Missouri.

Minnesota farmers may be getting calls from multiple agencies and companies conducting a variety of surveys this time of year, but the information gathered from this survey is critical for research and educational purposes.

If you have questions about the MDA’s annual survey, or if you wish to view results of previous surveys, visit the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us/pesticidefertilizersurveys.

Producers can also call the Minnesota Department of Agriculture at 651-261-1993 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.