U-Pick, Farm Markets Adapt to COVID-19 Pandemic
Published: Friday, August 7, 2020
On-farm markets, U-pick operations, farmers markets and agritourism faced many unknowns as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded state by state.
"This spring we feared for the worse," said Ronda Gilbert, partner at Beard's Produce in Monterey, Mich. "What would we do if we couldn't open? Our farm is 98 percent U-pick and it was a huge concern."
But when strawberry season opened at the Beard's six-acre patch and U-pick operations received the go ahead to open, her worries vanished as quickly as the strawberries that were picked by a record number of customers this year.
Mollie Kieffer, partner and market manager of Kercher Sunrise Orchards describes a similar scenario of huge foot traffic increases at their Goshen farm market.
Kercher's market is open from mid-April through the first of January, while Beard's runs a short U-pick season beginning with strawberries and ending after blueberries.
Urban farmers markets, where vendors bring produce and foods to a central location, haven't fared as well, according to Brigette Leach, owner of Avalon Farms and market master for Battle Creek's Festival Market Square weekly market.
"Vendor numbers are down, their revenues are down and the normal number of people attending the market is way down because a large number of people are still working from home and not in the offices near the market," Leach said. "Our market revenue is down, and we don't have funds to advertise for the rest of the season."
"Markets opened in May, but if it hadn't been for Michigan Farm Market Assn. stepping in, we never could have opened when we did, if at all."
Vendors at the markets must be spaced further apart, customer numbers must be limited, and rigorous sanitization protocols followed, creating additional work for market masters. Vendors are also required to package produce for customers to take and go, disallowing customers from making their own selections.
"We had a full schedule of activities that included cooking demonstrations, music, contests; it all had to be cancelled," Leach said.
Beard's and Sunrise Orchards have implemented all required safety precautions including distancing people at checkout, spacing people every other row for U-pick, hand sanitizers for staff and customers, masks for indoor spaces, and plexiglass cover-ings at checkout locations. While farmers markets received their cues and requirements through MIFMA, U-pick and farm stands had to do their own research to figure out what precautions to implement.
Kieffer said her farm stand tries to keep overhead doors open as much as possible to provide ventilation. Since U-pick is already outdoors, Gilbert does not have to require masks as social distancing can be attained. During strawberry season, she observed very few people wearing masks, but now believes about 20 percent wear them while picking in the blueberry patch. Several have said their picking experience was their first trip out since the pandemic began.
Kieffer and Gilbert describe the general mood of their customers as happy and enjoying an outdoor family activity. Both are seeing first-time fruit pickers.
"They are thankful we are open," Kieffer said, noting the local farm market is a low customer density shopping alternative to supermarket shopping where many customers congregate.
Along with implementing signs and the typical safety measures for the year, Gilbert found her paid advertisements to be more expensive since the ads required more space to address their COVID-19 safety measures to their audience. Kieffer found some items hard to obtain such as the puzzles they sell in the market.
Kieffer implemented curbside, no-touch pickup where customers call in and pay for their order by phone, and staff places the order in the customer's trunk. She has also made a small staffing increase by adding one person who helps with orders and focuses on sanitization.
Both farms are enjoying record foot traffic and sales. While Gilbert has yet to compare strawberry harvest numbers to 2019, she gauged the traffic by people waiting a half hour or more in the checkout line.
"We never have people needing to wait that long," she said.
Kieffer said that their sales through the end of July were up 52 percent over 2019. However, because schools appear to be going at least partially online for fall, Kieffer anticipates a large decrease in field trips numbers. In a normal year, the farm would host as many as 5,000 students who pick fall pumpkins and apples. However, she hopes to see large numbers of families out to enjoy and pick fall's bounty of pumpkins and apples.
Leach said one positive for the Battle Creek market is Bridge Card, Pandemic EBT and Double Up Food Bucks sales have at least doubled this season.
Since many groceries were in short supply this spring, more people appear to be stocking up to preserve at least some food and be more prepared against potential future shortages. Apples and peaches are typical fruits that Kieffer says are normally purchased in bulk for preserving. This year, they are beginning to see bulk quantities of pickles, tomatoes, green beans, corn and broccoli be purchased for preservation.
Both Gilbert and Kieffer are encouraged by the increased interest in people wanting to know where their food comes from.
Even though there were many unknowns, Kieffer said, "As farmers, we roll with the punches, and even though we had to make a few changes, it is business as usual."
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