Support Circadian Organics Recovery from Flood Damage

On Saturday, June 22, 2024, our farm, Circadian Organics, one of the home farms for Driftless Seed Supply, experienced a flash flood that destroyed around $3000 worth of fresh market produce that we were contracted to sell the following week. The waters from the flood carried the risk of contamination of E. coli, so the lettuce and cabbage that were not swept away in the flood cannot be sold.

The flooding, an acute event during an overall challenging and soggy spring, has also damaged some of our seed crops. We are one of the primary growers for Driftless Seed Supply and unfortunately will not be able to reach our target harvests for seed this year due to this event, and might not be able to introduce some of the new varieties we were very excited about. We estimate that between the labor costs and harvest losses, the flood event will set us back at least $2000 to $3000 in seed production revenue. The full effects of the flood have yet to be seen, as we have begun to notice more diseases showing up in the exposed crops.

The damage amount might not seem like much to some folks, but the fresh market contracts were critical bridge income for us before we get to the next seed sales season. As a relatively young, small farm still in the midst of a transition from fresh market produce to seed production, this is a tough blow to our financials this year. We are reaching out to our community for support in recouping the costs of our crop losses with this fundraiser.

A few folks have asked us about crop insurance. For corn and soy farmers, crop insurance is more easily accessed, but for a small diversified vegetable farm like ours, crop insurance is difficult to get and even more difficult to afford. This may be an option as our business grows, but currently we do not have crop insurance for our produce or seeds.

We have been hesitant to ask for assistance, but after encouragement from friends and family, we are turning to our community for help recovering from the flood damage. If you are able to contribute even a few bucks, we would be so grateful to you for your support and your belief in what we are doing as a small organic farm. Sharing this fundraiser with your networks is also very appreciated.

We would also gladly accept help in the form of volunteers if anyone would like to come out and help us clean up the damage from the flood. We are located between Viroqua and Ferryville. To reach out, please contact us through our website, circadianorganics.com.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Dylan and Skye Bruce

Circadian Organics