COVID-19 & Its Effects
We can all attest to the incredible impacts COVID-19 has had on all of our lives. Here are some of the ways COVID-19 has changed the food chain, especially the farming industry.
“The demand for organic food is growing at a remarkable rate. Consumers have made it clear that they want organic produce and every sector of the food chain is responding, with the kind of results we have just seen.”
With full and partial shutdowns lasting almost a year, the food industry is suffering.
During the beginning of 2020, Goronson Farm was expecting a very busy summer season. That plan quickly fell through due to COVID-19. This left many farmers wondering what to do with the extra produce and how to sell it. We believe in finding a use for everything we produce. This belief stems from our utmost respect for the Earth, our farm, and our flocks. Countless hours, attention, and care are put into our fruit, produce, and birds. To allow food to spoil hurts and would feel so wasteful. However, due to low wholesale demand, many farmers had to resort to tossing produce into the compost pile and threw gallons of milk away. This created an enormous amount of waste and financial insecurity in the community. But the work of a farm, espicially when there are animals and fruit trees to take care of, doesn’t stop just because the wholesale market has dried up.
On the Goronson Farm, we provided all of our farmhands with face masks and hand sanitizer. Everyone was required to wear gloves, a mask, and socially distance while on the farm. We built extra hand wash stations and created a formalized plan of action for the upcoming new, spring CSA and new Farm Market. We found other uses for the produce and fruit that did not make it to market. We have quietly continued taking care of our flocks, our rare fruit trees, and started planting winter crops for spring. We winterized our coops, and our orchard trees, and we kept our farm hands employed with meaningful work.
Adverse times often lead to new ways of working. Local surveys of Maine agricultural producers and buyers are reporting that customers are leaning towards CSA pickups and on-farm purchases to get their food.
We will be creating our first ever wholesome and hearty CSA to offer you this coming spring 2021! It will include an assortment of eggs from our own free-range, pastured chickens, Guinea hens, and ducks; our own certified-organic produce and fruit, and organically grown produce from a local farm partner. In addition, we hope to have a variety of baked goods! Goronson Farm is a true believer in treating your body like a temple; the best ones are filled with nutritious foods and baked goods full of love. We look forward to seeing you with great organic produce and fruit in 2021.
Please stay tuned for more news about our NEW CSA as spring 2021 approaches.