Minnesota Grown Receives National Mississippi River Parkway Commission Award

MN-MRPC Vice-Chair John Anfinson (R) presents the MRPC Stewardship Award to Paul Hugunin (L) and Christina Iliev (C) from the MN Department of Agriculture’s Ag Marketing and Development Division.

The National Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MRPC), made up of ten state commissions, awarded its esteemed Stewardship Award to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Grown Program during its annual meeting in Collinsville, Illinois. The award was presented to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture at the Minnesota MRPC quarterly meeting at the Minnesota State Capitol on November 16.

The MRPC Stewardship Award recognizes a person, community or organization for its track record of enhancing environment, recreation, agriculture and transportation along the Mississippi River corridor. Minnesota Grown received the award for its efforts to promote agritourism venues and experiences, in big and small communities, along the Minnesota Great River Road.

Minnesota Grown significantly enhanced the relationship Great River Road travelers have with Minnesota’s agritourism locations and communities through its “Follow the Great River Road to Fall Harvest Fun” campaign highlighting farms, markets, farm-to-table restaurants, parks, scenic points, and lodging options along the Mississippi River, especially in Greater Minnesota. The campaign successfully increased local and tourist engagement with agriculturally linked activities throughout the state. There are over 200 Minnesota Grown locations within 5 – 10 miles of the Great River Road, the network of roadways with access to the Mississippi River from the headwaters to the state’s bluffs region. https://minnesotagrown.com/great-river-road/

Background:

Minnesota’s Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MN-MRPC) is a statutory Commission, recognized in 1963, whose mission is to...To preserve, promote and enhance the scenic, historic, and recreational resources of the Mississippi River, to foster economic growth in the corridor and to develop the national, scenic, and historic byway known as the Great River Road. The MN-MPRC is part of the larger 10-State National MRPC organized in 1938 to celebrate the Mississippi River by developing the Great River Road Scenic Byway. The 10 states include: Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

The Minnesota Grown Program is a statewide partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota producers of specialty crops and livestock. It was created over 35 years ago by specialty crop growers to differentiate their produce from produce grown elsewhere. Minnesota Grown connects Minnesotans directly to farmers, farmers’ markets, and other producers. (You will see this logo a lot at the Mill City Farmers Market!)