Survey to Evaluate Program

Background

The Minnesota Crop Production Retailers (MCPR) are currently piloting a program that will have partners use an environmental risk assessment tool with farmer clients. As part of this pilot program, HEI is helping to compile a survey that can be used to evaluate the pilot’s performance and analyze and report on the results of the survey.

The Project

HEI designed a survey to specifically learn how retailer staff are using the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Environmental Risk Assessment Tool (ERAT), a web-based software tool. The survey should give MCPR a better understanding of how many staff members are trained in the software, how easy it is to use, and any feedback for improvement. The survey also sought to quantify how beneficial ERAT scoring is and how many growers would consider certifying their land within the state-funded Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program Assessment Tool.

HEI helped MCPR and partners draft survey questions and developed a Survey Monkey online survey to gain important feedback. The survey is currently available to the public and beginning in 2018, HEI will help analyze and report on survey results, which will help the MCPR better understand their pilot program and make any necessary adjustments for future success.