Fruit and Vegetable News

The Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is a USDA educational and outreach program that focuses on supporting growers who want to gain USDA Organic certification. The program is set up to provide support in a few ways: Connecting transitioning growers with mentors who are already USDA Organic certified  Build mentoring networks for insight and advice Continued help for growers following certification TOPP efforts are nation wide and the University of Minnesota (UMN) has more recently been designated as the leader and coordinator for Minnesota TOPP. As a part of the effort, UMN's Organic Agriculture website is now up and will highlight organic research, resources, and information related to TOPP, including a list of our current USDA Organic certified mentors , and UMN technical assistance staff .   If you are interested in participating in MN TOPP's mentee/mentor program, information and applications for both mentors and mentees can be found on our TOPP landing page

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety Orchards and U-picks are welcoming large number of visitors to the farm. When you invite the public to your farm there are additional food safety and liability concerns to consider to keep your customers safe and your risk as low as possible to avoid a foodborne illness outbreak.  Here are some key recommendations to keep your customers safe and healthy this fall.  Photo: Annie Klodd What are the risks? Many bacteria like Salmonella , Campylobacter and E. coli can be spread to fresh produce from animals and sick humans. Viruses like Norovirus and Hepatitis   can easily transmitted between humans via fresh produce and other food, surfaces and the air.  These bacteria and viruses can seriously sicken people, especially the young, old, and immunocompromised.  There have been outbreaks at agritourism farms, especially those that have animals. Take some basic precautions to reduce the potential for these illness to be spread on your farm. S

Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension educator and Cindy Tong, UMN Professor & Extension postharvest horticulturist Images: A collection of apple disorders caused by or worsened by storage conditions. This includes 1) soft scald and 2) internal flesh browning, which result from storage temperatures that are colder than an apple can tolerate, as well as 2) bitter pit—a physiologically disorder related to calcium use in the apple fruit—which can start in the field, and worsen in storage. The Minnesota apple industry primarily sells apples through direct sales at farm stands, farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), and agritourism. For example, it’s not uncommon for an apple orchard visit in the fall to be routine for elementary school classes, or for families to make a trip to an orchard on a Saturday afternoon to enjoy apples, pumpkins, and festivities. Thus, most apples grown in Minnesota aren’t stored for very long; but even short term storage requires some consideration