Minnesota Starts Two Organic Programs

ST. PAUL - Oct 18/05 - SNS -- The Minnesota Department of Agriculture intends to create two new organic agriculture projects using nearly $290,000 in two funding awards from the USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA).

The first project will create a voluntary directory of organic producers in order to inform brokers, processors, and distributors about the availability of raw organic products in the state and to help growers identify underserved market opportunities.

The other project will pay 80% of the cost for certified organic Minnesota farmers to enroll in the statewide Farm Business Management program. Through this program, farmers work one-on-one with a farm business management instructor and learn to use specialized farm financial management software called FINPACK and a benchmarking database called FINBIN.

Other partners on the project include the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, Organic Crop Improvement Association - Minnesota Chapter ##035;1 and Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.

MDA Commissioner Gene Hugoson said the federal funds will help Minnesota do even more to serve its expanding agriculture sector - including providing valuable financial information for producers.

"Organic agriculture is clearly an important and growing part of our farm economy," Commissioner Hugoson said. "And even though many organic producers assert that this farming approach has proven profitable for them, the information is anecdotal. The farm business management project will collect real-world information that makes it possible for farmers, lenders, researchers, and policy makers to get a better handle on the economic performance of organic operations."