The COVID-19 virus impacted nearly every aspect of American life and business. Minnesota’s food and agricultural supply chain has not been spared from the effects of the pandemic. These businesses faced unprecedented challenges and continue to make difficult decisions to ensure financial viability.

Given the essential nature of food and agriculture, a coalition of Minnesota food and agriculture groups partnered to survey related processors and manufacturers in July 2020 to better understand the supply chain effects of COVID-19, as well as the identifying resultant pain points and what new services, resources and collective solutions may help overcome them.

Over 100 respondents provided insight into supply chain disruptions and responses, including market and sales losses, labor shortages, bottlenecks, etc. While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Minnesota food and agriculture manufacturers and processors business, the disruptions did not break them. Rather, the pandemic exposed gaps that need to be addressed to make supply chains more agile and resilient in navigating future disruptions. 

The study was conducted through a partnership of the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, AgriGrowth, the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, GreenSeam and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. 

Join the webinar to hear the survey results and a panel discussion on insights and potential actions resulting from the effort, followed by an audience question/answer session. 

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AURI Connects: Webinar Wednesday is a monthly webinar series hosted by the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute. Each webinar explores different aspects of the food and ag sectors in Minnesota—from resources for food entrepreneurs to innovations in coproducts and biobased energy. 

Webinars take place on the second Wednesday of the month from 12 pm – 1 pm CT. Registration is free and open to the public. To learn more about upcoming webinars and watch past recordings, visit us at www.auri.org/webinar-wednesday.