Persons who attended the University of Minnesota’s Organic Field Day, held July 11, 2007, at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center, were invited to participate in the assessment of carrot and beet varieties. The “taste testing” was conducted in conjunction with the vegetable variety trial research at the SWROC, lead by Dr. Erin Silva, Organic Production Specialist, University of Wisconsin.

The results of the “taste testing” are finally in! Among the beets, Ruby Queen scored highest, with Red Ace a close second. Early Wonder Tall Top also rated high on certain qualities. Among the carrot varieties, Sugar Snax and Bolero received top scores. See all the results of the organic vegetable variety tasting and view pictures of the beets and carrots.

Minnesota farmers seeking assistance for property damage and other losses caused by recent flooding may find themselves confused by the many different agencies and programs that are offering aid. Disaster assistance programs tend to be very specific, focused on addressing a particular type of loss or need. Those seeking help often have to piece together aid from more than one program to meet their needs. In general, programs aimed at meeting the emergency needs of individual and families such as food, shelter, and basic necessities will not cover losses to income-producing property, such as farming structures, equipment, livestock, or crops. And farm disaster programs also tend to be very specific about the types of losses covered.

The Farmers Legal Action Group (FLAG) has compiled resources on the different disaster assistance programs that generally provide assistance for different types of losses.

Note that, for now, the most pressing issues from these materials are: (1) documenting losses, (2) reporting crop losses to insurers and the Farm Service Agency, (3) reporting all farm losses and emergency conservation needs to the Farm Service Agency and Minnesota Department of Agriculture to ensure authorization of maximum program assistance, and (4) applying for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (if appropriate) within the deadlines identified.

View the following information: Minnesota Farmers Affected by Recent Flooding May Be Eligible for Housing and Other Assistance from FEMA. MN DUA Handbook (pdf), An Overview of Disaster Assistance Programs for Farmers, Documenting Losses Is an Important Part of Disaster Recovery,

Due to recent flooding of agricultural land throughout the United States, many reporters, farmers, inspectors, extension agents, food shoppers, and others are wondering about the impact of flooding on organic certification of affected fields and products. The Impact of Flooding on Organic Food and Fields article explores the immediate and long-term impacts of flooding on organic farms, foods, and fields.

By way of introduction, it is important to point out that in most instances, only low-lying portions of farms or fields are affected by floodwaters. Most farms, even when they suffer flood damage, have fields and crops that do not suffer any damage. For such fields and portions of fields, the food safety and organic status of their crops is unaffected.