HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut farmers are shifting how they get products to consumers, faced with new challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.
Heading into one of their busiest times of year, farmers, growers and operators of open-air markets are grappling with new social distancing rules, fluctuations in demand and smaller crowds at markets.
“Whether it’s a farmers market or a pick-your-own operation, farms are already thinking of ways to modify how they operate,” Joan Nichols, executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau Association, told The Hartford Courant.
Some farm stores are installing protective shields at cash registers and many are pushing online sales. Pick-your-own farms may try “one-way rules,” as grocery stories have done with aisles to curb the flow of traffic, Nichols said.
Gov. Ned Lamont, who joined a Sunday news conference with other governors from the region to tout pooling resources, has deemed farmers markets an essential service. They’re allowed to operate with new rules including requiring staff and sellers to wear gloves and masks, limiting the number of customers and putting more space between vendor tables.
Seth Bahler operates Oak Ridge Dairy in Ellington, the state’s largest dairy farm. He has seen a surge in demand for his delivery services, including for eggs, cheese and milk. He had 300 customers when he started delivery service in January, which ballooned by 2,000 during the pandemic.
However, like other dairies nationwide, he’s still struggling with making up business that has been lost to the closures of restaurants and coffee shops.
“Diversifying is really helpful, but it’s only a small portion of a big issue,” Bahler told the newspaper.
State public health officials said Sunday that 59 more people who tested positive for COVID-19 died, for a statewide total of 2,495 deaths. Connecticut has had more than 29,280 positive cases overall, including an additional 523 announced Saturday.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
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