by Chris Hicks, County Director – UT Extension Smith County
Like other businesses and families, Tennessee’s direct farm marketers, value-added agriculture entrepreneurs, and agritourism operators are facing new and imposing challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Navigating the situation is a daunting task, so the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has developed a website to support farmers who are making critical decisions and business adjustments.
The free resource list is available at tiny.utk.edu/CPA-COVID19. The site provides links to resources made available by UT Extension and other universities, government agencies, and producer organizations from across the country. Specialists with the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture along with colleagues from the Departments of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Food Science, and Plant Sciences have contributed to this streamlined listing. The website will be updated throughout this crisis as new resources are developed and identified.
Megan Bruch Leffew, marketing Specialist in UT Extension’s Center for Profitable Agriculture, said, “Farmers who are marketing products and services directly to consumers or to grocery stores and restaurants have had to make significant adjustments in the way they are doing business while we are in the midst of the outbreak. They will also have to consider how what we are all going through now will impact them moving forward related to potential changes in consumer behaviors and finances.”
Agritourism operators who typically offer springtime activities on the farm have taken a big hit due to cancellations of Easter activities, field trips, and events such as weddings and birthday parties. They are looking toward what also may be a temporary shift in consumer needs and expectations for summer and fall activities such as summer camps, field trips, family fun activities and haunted attractions.
Direct farm markets selling directly to restaurants have also seen demand from that market diminish, while demand for local product from grocery stores and from individual consumers has increased. Consumers have been seeking local food sources because of limited product availability from other suppliers. Producers with on-farm markets or who participate in farmers markets have made changes to offer pre-orders, drive-through markets or curbside pick-up and employ other measures to protect the health of their consumers, employees and families.
“Our Center’s everyday focus is to provide information and education to help our farmers be profitable, although like many other agencies, the way we do that has changed a bit due to COVID-19,” said Rob Holland, director of the Center for Profitable Agriculture. “We want producers to know that we are still working to support them. We also greatly appreciate the many folks who developed and assembled the materials and educational resources that are listed on the new website.”
Other publications and resources to help families navigate the COVID-19 crisis are available online at smith.tennessee.edu and on our Facebook page at UT Extension – Smith County.
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