Tennessee Men and Women in Agriculture Demonstrate Resilience Amid Pandemic

In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Life took a dramatic turn when COVID-19 entered the United States. Many businesses came to a grinding halt and grocery store supplies dwindled. Some companies sent their employees home to work remotely, but since agricultural businesses were classified as essential, many were not able to do so. Farmers, ranchers and foresters were forced to adapt to meet the shifting needs of society while also striving to keep their employees and customers safe.

Pivoting Amid Positive Tests

Jones & Church Farms has produced tomatoes in East Tennessee for 45 years. In addition to the pressure of running an agricultural business during a pandemic, they also carried the weight of being one of the largest employers in Unicoi. Their dedication to their employees and their community changed the way they operated.

“We made adjustments to our business early on,” co-owner Renea Jones says. “We implemented additional cleaning measures; encouraged our crew to use disposable plates, cups and paper towels during mealtimes; supplied hand sanitizer; and even designated specific cleaning tools for specific areas.”

Jones says they provide four housing areas for their seasonal employees, which worked well this year after some of them contracted the virus. “When some of our workers tested positive, we quarantined their entire housing area for two weeks,” she says. “Our local community was crucial during that time. People brought groceries, supplies and a mobile laundromat to our quarantined employees so they didn’t have to leave the property.”

Jones says 2020 was a year like no other. “Agriculture always presents challenges, but this year was unique,” she says. “Fortunately, with assistance from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) and other government agencies, we know now if we come into another crisis, we’ll have the support we need to continue producing food for the country.”

Providing Economic Support

TDA played an integral role in helping businesses stay afloat in this difficult time. The staff created and distributed guidelines to pick-your-own farms and other farm and forestry businesses to help them safely keep their doors open, offering everything from handouts to educational webinars on cleaning procedures and how to open online storefronts.

“We also provided social media promotions for our local agriculture businesses,” says Kacey Troup, business consultant for TDA. “We ran a campaign called Do Your Part, where we highlighted a different business each day that was offering ways for consumers to safely and reliably access the products they needed.”

See more: Tennessee’s Top 10 Agricultural Products

As part of the Coronavirus Agricultural and Forestry Business Fund (CAFB), the department also distributed $55 million in support to agricultural businesses in the state who experienced disruptions due to COVID-19 or were working to strengthen the food supply chain amid the pandemic.

One of the local businesses that benefited from the CAFB fund was Christmas Tree Adventures in Hendersonville. Owner Justin Diel says they were in the middle of spring planting and nursery production when COVID-19 hit. It impacted their production schedule, but they were able to catch up in time for the holiday season.

“We were committed to keeping our guests and staff safe during our selling season.”

– Justin Diel, owner of Christmas Tree Adventures

“We were committed to keeping our guests and staff safe during our selling season,” Diel says. Their farm established several new protocols, including wearing masks, social distancing, sanitizing and implementing touchless checkout systems for customers. “Many of our efforts were funded by the CAFB program and helped everyone feel safer during the selling season.”

Their safety procedures encouraged an impressive turnout of returning customers and new customers, raking in record sales. “We saw a 50% increase in the number of trees sold compared to 2019 and sold out in six days,” he says.

They were able to safely provide the holiday spirit so desperately needed by Tennesseans after months of living through the pandemic.

The Resilience of Tennessee Agriculture

So many farms across the state had to adapt to the challenges brought on by the pandemic. In Sparta, Amazin’ Acres of Fun offered a drive-thru pickup for strawberries in the warm months and implemented social distancing for its fall agritourism activities. With assistance from the CAFB fund, Amazin’ Acres of Fun also invested in a second hayride wagon for better social distancing. In Corryton, Oakes Farm transitioned to an online ticketing system to control the number of visitors. They also redirected the flow of traffic on the farm to avoid crowds. And in Riceville, Guthrie Farms innovated when on-farm school field trips were canceled by implementing mobile field trips and bringing the animals directly to the school. These are just a few examples of the resourcefulness and creativity shown by Tennessee farmers.

Agricultural businesses are essential to the state, and TDA is proud to support their continued growth throughout this season. “We saw our farmers quickly adapt to protect employees and guests,” Troup says. “They faced a challenge unlike any other and proved their resilience all over again.”