Flooding hurts clients of community-supported Agriculture

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The effects of flooding in southeastern Minnesota are reaching far beyond the flooded area into urban areas where people contract with farmers for their supply of vegetables through community-supported agriculture programs.

The programs have been billed as a way to save the family farm by linking farmers and customers who pay in advance to get vegetables each week during the growing season from CSA farms.

The flooding provides a stark reminder that the customers share the risks of farming. Their weekly boxes of produce swell with the farm's fortunes or can get washed away.

More than 1,200 U.S. farms participate in the programs, including many farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin where recent flooding has hurt crops.

Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 08-26-07 1350CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list