Small Farmers’ Guide to the COVID-19 Outbreak

COVID-19’s arrival in the U.S. has created unprecedented disruption to local production cycles through which direct-market growers bring food, fiber, flowers, and more to our restaurants, farmers’ markets, and communities.

According to Purdue University Extension specialists and educators, now is the time for small farmers to determine the best methods to find and connect with your customers during a time of confusion and challenge. You can play an important role in improving this connectivity along the supply chain and ensuring continued access to fresh produce and products in local economies, and it is imperative to establish and implement plans before any additional drastic measure occurs that could affect your bottom line.

The potential postponement or cancellation of farmers’ markets could have a major impact on your business. Although the regular farmers’ market season is still six to seven weeks away for some portions of the nation, there exists significant potential these markets will be postponed or potentially canceled.

Additionally, many of your businesses may derive income from sales to local restaurants — with many of those businesses shifting to takeout or delivery orders only under government mandates.

Further restrictions, cancellations, and closings related to COVID-19 also could have a major impact on demand for your products. This means you must become proactive in connecting with your customers.

The folks at Purdue University Extension have produced the following guide, which can help you navigate these uncertain times by offering ideas on:

• Changing your business model
• Meeting the needs of the market
• Reaching your customer base without increasing potential exposure to COVID-19
• Continuing to generate income during this difficult period

Online / Phone Sales

As more people choose to stay at home rather than venture out for goods, you can capitalize through online sales that allow them to purchase your products from their homes. (If insufficient broadband limits your capacity for online orders or marketing, you can set up service through telephone or text.)

Make sure you have a form for payment set up, and then explore online sales by:

• Using Google Sheets or other online-software ordering forms
• Selling through Facebook
• Opening a webpage with your ordering form
• Starting a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) enterprise

As you adapt to potential farmers’ market closings, a CSA may be your best answer. A box of goods — often called a “share” — that you pack for your customer can reduce the number of people handling products and can eliminate possible cross-contamination.

CSA options include:

• Pre-established shares with certain types/quantities of goods
• Customizable shares where the consumer determines selection and size
• Collaborative shares coordinated with other farmers to consolidate into one box of goods

No matter what option you choose for online sales, you must follow all food safety standards and take appropriate measures to reduce possible product contamination.

• Ensure you and your employees maintain good hygiene.
• If you or any of your employees are sick, they should not work around food or food packaging and be sent home.
• Encourage your customers to wash fruits and vegetables before use.

You also must establish a delivery system for orders — either through a coordinated drop-off point or pick-up at your farm.

It is also important to keep customers aware of what is coming in their order so they can best utilize its contents. Providing recipes and produce storage tips is a great way to help customers fully use what they receive and feel good about their purchase.

You may also want to connect with your state’s department of agriculture or your county’s Extension office to inquire about any existing statewide online-sales platforms to help you more easily connect with customers, manage orders and coordinate delivery locations.

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A shift to online sales may not be easy, and there are no hard or fast rules about what works and what does not. However, online sales can help you stay connected with existing customers and perhaps gain new customers, and continue the safe, timely, and profitable delivery of your farm products.

Delivery Systems

Delivery may be the trickiest part of changing your current business model and processes, but several options exist if you sell directly to customers:

• Establish a pop-up stand for customers to pick up products on your farm or elsewhere.
• Designate coordinated drop-off points for your products.
• Deliver directly to customers’ residences.

Considering a pop-up stand? Consult your local zoning department. Some communities do not allow stands unless an area is zoned for commercial use or has a variance under consideration. People may also express concern about increased traffic if your stand is in a residential area.

It is also critical to make sure that you abide by any and all applicable statutes of state codes.

Having customers come to your farm? Your stand or retail space must protect your products from weather and minimize potential to spread COVID-19. These steps include:

• Consulting your county health department to ensure your area is not a hot spot for COVID-19 transmission
• Packing boxes in a way that prevents customers’ from touching one another’s products
• Staggering pickup times to reduce crowds
• Undertaking additional cleaning and sanitation protocols, such as
  • Regular cleaning of contact surfaces
  • Hand-washing or hand-sanitizer stations at your pick-up site
  • Signage and communication encouraging customers to wash their hands before handling produce at a pick-up location

Managing Inventory

You may need to account for inventory challenges, including larger amounts or longer periods of product storage. What options do you have to accommodate those needs? Now is the time to review best practices and storage conditions.

Selling to distributors or processors that are able to take on more local produce can allow you to preserve an early-season harvest when markets may be closed. However, you will need to search for such outlets and determine whether you meet their criteria for quantity and / or quality.

Adjust Crop Scheduling

You have options to adjust crop scheduling based on when you plant, how you harvest and, for some crops, how you manage growth.

Now is the time to generate realistic estimates of what you expect to sell in the coming weeks, as well as your options to adjust harvest timing and quantity.

Many short-season spring crops can also be grown in late summer and fall. Properly stored seeds can remain viable for a year or more, depending on the crop. For fruiting-vegetable crops, removing early-set fruit can allow more energy for vegetative growth and later yield.

Use Social Media

If you aren’t already on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you can establish a presence that helps you connect with consumers and stay up to date on the latest developments in your local foods system.

You can also follow agencies and partners to keep abreast of the latest developments.

Most importantly, use social media to connect with your consumers in a way that creates or reinforces a relationship.

Ideas include:

• Listing products that you have available in a given week
• Advice on how to pick up goods or choose delivery
• Photos of your farm
• Catchy posts about your farm and the work you do
• Make it a family effort to keep social media content fresh and interesting