Small farmers need your support now more than ever
Early Spring is a busy time on most small farms as big decisions are made regarding what to produce, vegetables are planted, chicks are ordered, animals are born, and preparations begin for the hectic growing season. Many small farmers will make the majority of their income during the Spring and Summer months. With the rise of coronavirus, however, some small farms are concerned that its impact may severely dampen or outright squash the usual demand for their offerings particularly for producers of perishable products.
But in the same way that the virus has sparked critical conversations about the function and capacity of our healthcare system, it’s also renewed many consumers’ interest in shrinking their retail footprints. In today’s one-day delivery culture, many of us think less about the distance that our products travel and the implications it has for health, and more about how badly we want instant gratification.
This is no different when it comes to food shopping.
With so many grocery store shelves wiped clean, conversations around food security and the implications of relying on a global supply chain have reinvigorated the importance of local foodsheds. Although the global supply chain has an important role to play in our food system, it’s ability to bring fresh pineapple to Wisconsin in December seems like a luxury at a time when most consumers are struggling to find household essentials. Amidst the hardship that the coronavirus has brought, it has also highlighted the importance of putting some of our food spending towards local food, whether that be restaurants that source from farmers in the area, a farmers’ market, a CSA, a food hub, or direct from the farm.
Many folks are turning to online grocery delivery services like Amazon or Instacart to keep their kitchens stocked for the next several weeks. Although I can see the alluring ease of this option, I still consider the number of hands that have to touch each product from the original manufacturer to the warehouse operators to the person bringing it to your doorstep. Is clicking “Order Now” really the best option when it comes to supporting the overarching health and wellness of our entire community, or is it simply self-interested?
From what I can tell, small farmers are ready to keep their communities fed as best they can in the coming weeks. Scrolling through social media, I see countless farmers across the country announcing that they are adopting new protocols and procedures to keep selling their meat, produce, dairy, and more amidst countless restaurant closures. This includes adding extra delivery days, putting together family packages at discount prices, and keeping on-farm stores open while requiring visitors to perform extra sanitation measures when picking up products. Many farmers are asking customers to leave ice chests on their doorsteps to reduce the amount of face-to-face time involved with the delivery, as well.
As a partner with Ozark Pasture Beef, which sells grass-finished, pasture-raised beef, lamb, goat, and eggs, we plan to continue making deliveries because we know so many people are relying on us to keep their families fed with protein they can feel good about instead of highly-processed packaged goods. In our weekly newsletter, I asked our customers to let us know if they were a potential vector for a high-risk individual so that we could take as many precautions as possible. Orders have been pouring in and we could not be more thankful that our community is choosing to eat local during this crisis instead of turning elsewhere.
We are fortunate because we sell frozen meat that will survive the coming weeks in our freezers just fine. We still face uncertainty when it comes to things like our processor temporarily closing its doors or the company that supplies our chicken feed halting shipments, but farmers who raise perishable items face the scary possibility of having much of their crop go to waste as a result of this situation.
And for farmers of all kinds, balancing our inventory is an ongoing battle. People love cuts like ground beef, steaks, and roasts but some of our less popular cuts tend to sit longer in our freezers. Vegetable growers face a similar hardship when it comes to trying to guestimate exactly how much of each vegetable their consumers will want. Another way you can help small farmers is by being flexible with what you order. Ask your farmer what he or she has an abundance of or is having trouble moving. It’s a great way to discover new cuts of meat or vegetables that aren’t part of your usual line-up.
If you are living in a densely-populated metropolitan area, working in healthcare or as a first responder, or a potential vector for a high-risk individual, then you may not have as many options when it comes to sourcing food. But for those of us who are still able to make limited, needs-based trips from the home consider the impact that your dollars could have when it comes to securing a consistent supply of food for you and your immediate community. You could also consider offering to pick up some additional items from your next farm haul to leave on the doorstep of someone you know who is quarantined.
And if you don’t feel comfortable leaving your home to purchase local food, consider donating to a local farmer or independent local restaurant that has demonstrated a commitment to sourcing local food. Don’t forget your local animal shelters, too, which are facing a serious decline in adoptions in the coming weeks. Donations for veterinary care and pet food are still needed.
If you are interested in sourcing more local food direct from farmers during the coming weeks or when you are no longer on quarantine, there are many resources to help you locate them like Eat Wild and Local Harvest. Many farmers also have accounts on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook that provide information about how to order and what they offer.
For those of you with limited options to source food locally, the following are better meat suppliers who can help support you through this time:
The Honest Bison - 15% off storewide
Joyce Farms - 10% off your order with the discount code SACREDCOW at checkout
Blue Nest Beef - 15% off your order with code SustainableDishBuyBlueNest at checkout
Hickory Nut Gap Meats - Free Salami with every $100 order with the code SacredCow at checkout
Chomps - 20% off your order with the code SACREDCOW20 at checkout
The Good Kitchen - 15% off with the code SUSTAINABLE at checkout
Wapole Valley Farms - Pasture-raised, grass-fed meats. Ships to all New England states, New York, and New Jersey.
APD Farm - Free deliveries to DC/VA/MD for those in need and mention Sacred Cow in your order email for 10% off.
Force of Nature - Free shipping on orders over $125.
Happy Hollow Beef - Grassfed, grass-finished beef delivery to the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area.
Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed
Are you a small farmer who’d like to offer a special discount to this community during this time? Send us a message here to be added!
Rebecca Thistlethwaite also assembled this amazing list of direct-to-consumer meat suppliers. Give it a look to see if there’s a farmer near you!
Some, not all, of these links are affiliates. The film makes a small commission from these, however, you will not be charged a penny more. Thank you for your support! Read our full affiliate disclosure here.
Lauren Manning, Esq., LL.M., is a cattle farmer, an agricultural law professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, food journalist, and contributor to the forthcoming documentary and book project Sacred Cow: The environmental, nutritional, and ethical case for better meat.
