A few weeks ago, heavy rains flooded a stretch of land along the Minnesota and Wisconsin border that is home to hundreds of organic farmers. Reports have been devastating - with many individual farms reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.
Aarick Beher and Gretta Wing Miller have made a powerful short video capturing the challenges facing these farmers - both from the weather and the marketplace. The video raises some of the unique challenges that make organic farmers particularly vulnerable to weather-related disasters, including the issue of flood insurance. Many organic farmers can't afford flood insurance. Those that do usually have conventional flood insurance - meaning that they are compensated according to prices for conventional crops, not organic crops which are usually much higher. Organic expert Jim Riddle explains some of these issues in an article published in Agrinews.
Last year, IATP and the Wedge Coop started the Sow the Seeds Fund to help support local food systems. Because so many farmers in this region supplied food coops and grocery stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin, in the short-term the Fund will focus its resources on helping these farmers get back on their feet. Food coops in both states have already collected tens of thousands of dollars in contributions - a real testiment to how committed consumers in both states are to local farmers. But as Beher and Millers' video shows, much more will be needed.
Please consider taking a minute and contributing to the Sow the Seeds Fund to support sustainable and organic farmers in the Midwest.
