March 28, 2024

Indiana Grown surveys members on economic impact of program

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Grown released a survey to its members as part of a partnership with Purdue University on a U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal State Marketing Improvement Program grant.

A nearly $200,000 grant is making the survey possible, which has goals of determining and improving the economic impact of the Indiana Grown program.

A three-pronged approach has been outlined to achieve the grant’s desired results. First, consumer awareness of the program and willingness to pay for locally made and grown products will be measured.

Second, the drivers and benefits of producer participation in Indiana Grown will be identified and quantified, and third, data from consumers and producers will be gathered and analyzed to derive the economic impact of the Indiana Grown program.

“This survey is a crucial step in providing us with the necessary information to propel Indiana Grown into the future,” said Indiana Grown Program Director Heather Tallman. “Our purpose as a program is to support all sectors of agriculture and increase market opportunities for our members.”

The survey was sent to each of the more than 1,700 Indiana Grown members and contains questions regarding past participation in the program, sales figures and overall business performance.

Access the survey, which will close on Dec. 7, at https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_82fWLF9piMOnuBv.

Michael Wilcox, assistant director and program leader for Purdue Extension’s Community Development Program and community and regional economics specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics, will oversee the research portion of the study and is excited to begin gathering data.

“We are eager to get started. Our survey of current Indiana Grown participants will examine the factors affecting their participation in Indiana Grown and estimate the benefits derived from participation,” Wilcox said. “The results of the survey will be critical for the determination of impacts that Indiana Grown has on the economy of our state.”

The team will develop an economic model to scientifically evaluate the current economic impacts of a state branding initiative, like Indiana Grown, both at a regional and state level.

Upon completion, the findings will be shared with public and private stakeholders in Indiana, other similar state programs, and used as the basis for scholarly outputs to inform future research and programming by Indiana Grown and Purdue Extension.