Organic Research in the Balance
Organic Research in the Balance: What’s Happening in Wisconsin By Brian Geier In labs in Wisconsin and Indiana, researchers are studying how microbial communities found on different varieties of carrots might help lead to disease resistance on organic farms. At a field day in Illinois, 10 varieties of carrots are served on paper plates to attendees, who taste and rate the sweetness, texture, and color. And on 40 farms across the country, farmers try the new carrot varieties on-farm via a decentralized trial service Organic Broadcaster | 32
called Seedlinked (find all links in Additional Resources section at end of article). All are part of the “Carrot Improvement for Organic Agriculture” (CIOA) project, led by Dr. Phillipp Simon at the University of Wisconsin (UW) and partnered with the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA). The effort aims to develop and release new seed lines that can support a surging organic carrot industry that already represents 12% of the carrots grown in the United
States and is valued at over $120 million annually. Advanced breeding lines of carrots are being evaluated at the Hoagland Lab at Purdue University, a partner on the CIOA project. To learn more, visit CIOA’s eOrganic page. Photo credit: Purdue University. The CIOA is one of several projects developed and led in Wisconsin that are responding to the needs of various organic industries and doing critical work to empower farmers to elevate their operations. It serves