Farmers Rise to the Challenge to Combat Food Shortages

In partnership with: Connecticut Department of Agriculture

When COVID-19 took the world by storm, many people were forced to press pause on work. It didn’t take long for the food market to see supply chain disruptions and shortages on everything from meat to milk on grocery store shelves.

But local farmers across the country rose to the challenge to provide safe and accessible ways for consumers to fill their fridges and feed their families through alternative options like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares, farm stands and farmers’ markets. Many in Connecticut were even able to utilize digital technology to accommodate online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery to feed the community.

Ellington Farmers’ Market

Ellington Farmers’ Market meets in Arbor Park in Ellington to provide residents with a myriad of products grown, harvested or produced within the state. Like many markets throughout the country, those in charge aim to connect residents with their food and help more people develop an appreciation for local producers. They also assist low-income families through a matching Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program voucher program for seniors and women enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children program.

Dianne Trueb has served as the Ellington market master since 2012 and handles everything from social media and advertising to vendor scheduling and the weekly newsletter.

See more: How Connecticut Helps Beginning Farmers Grow Their Dreams

“The main disruption we saw due to COVID-19 was the unavailability of local meats,” Trueb says. “Our chicken supplier sold out of 500 birds online before they were even ready to be processed. Other vendors couldn’t secure appointments at slaughterhouses and sold out of half and quarter cows well in advance of their delivery dates, which limited the supply available at the market.”

While the team couldn’t change the disruption in the supply chain, they did accommodate online ordering and curbside pickup. “The primary role of the market was the publication and distribution of links to purchase items online,” Trueb says. “From there, customers could pick up their products directly from the vendor.”

Fair Weather Growers

Billy Collins owns and operates Fair Weather Growers, a farm that cultivates 450 acres of mixed vegetables. String beans are their largest crop, and they have been responsible for supplying these to many of the chain stores throughout New England.

Collins says this year has been drastically different from the rest.

“Every year presents its challenges in the farming world,” Collins says, “but we didn’t just wrestle with labor and weather issues this time. We encountered COVID-19 instead.”

While the farm produces other items, such as greenhouse tomatoes, flowers and bedding plants, and has a CSA program, string beans have always been the staple. And a large chunk of their sales has come from the wholesale side of their operation.

“Back in April, before we planted, we asked our biggest customers what they expected to see during this pandemic,” Collins says. “They all said it was safe to proceed as usual, but many of our accounts ultimately took only half of what they originally projected.”

See more: Connecticut Retailers Strive to Source Products Locally

Fair Weather Growers shifted gears, moving their product around to different customers and engaging shoppers at their local farm market with an overwhelmingly positive response. In addition to purchasing produce, Collins says more people than ever purchased vegetable plants and flowers.

“I think because people were uncertain about the food supply, they decided to plant or increase the size of their gardens,” Collins says. “Gardening could provide them with a sense of food security.”

Meeting Demand

Despite hiccups in the supply chain and the uncertainty of shopping in traditional grocery stores, Connecticut residents are fortunate to have an abundance of markets, farm stands and CSA alternatives to provide them with healthy and fresh products in one of the country’s most turbulent years.