Sustainable Farming Groups Submit Joint Letter To Congress Supporting Small Business Relief For Farmers
Twenty-one groups representing agriculture, food businesses, environmental sustainability and rural communities have submitted a joint letter to congressional leaders demanding better support for independent farmers impacted by COVID-19, specifically ensuring their eligibility for the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program currently open to other small businesses and agricultural enterprises. On March 27, The CARES Act (PL 116-136) was signed into law to provide a broad range of assistance to help tide over small businesses that might otherwise…
Edible Empowerment: How to Boost Your Health with High Quality Food from Independent Farmers
By Culinary Nutritionist, Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN As a chef, nutritionist and author of What the Fork Are You Eating, I am always looking for edible solutions—everyday, and when in crisis. Whether it’s my personal health, that of my family, my clients’ or an unprecedented global pandemic like COVID-19, food is medicine! The stakes couldn’t be higher right now for our personal health as well as the wellbeing of our farmers. What and how we choose to eat…
Farms are Businesses, Too
I wish now was a time where we could rest assured that farmers were being considered in efforts to relieve this crisis. Unfortunately, though recent legislation was supposed to extend relief to farms impacted by COVID-19, independent farms and agricultural businesses are still waiting. While aquaculture enterprises, agricultural cooperatives, and nurseries are eligible, the Small Business Administration (SBA, which handles disaster loans) specifically excludes farms from accessing vital loan assistance from emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs. Sign our…
CALL TO OPEN FOOD BUSINESSES–INDEPENDENT FARMS ARE READY TO SUPPLY
With the sudden closure of restaurants, schools and institutions around the country, many cutting edge, high-welfare, sustainable farms are facing the loss of some of their most crucial customers. As COVID-19 spreads, business owners are rethinking their strategies and adjusting the way they work, and many of us that are social distancing at home want to do all that we can to support our local communities and businesses through this pandemic. One specific way that we can all help our…
Farming in the Shadow of Coronavirus: Plan and plan – and then plan some more
Following the global outbreak of COVID-19, we know that many farmers (particularly those who supply the hospitality sector) have lost the majority of their markets almost overnight. We also know some farmers with established home delivery services, online sales or farm shops have been inundated by desperate customers. At the same time, many of the services and supply chains that farmers rely on—think animal feed or veterinary services—are at risk of disruption. Regardless of business model, many farmers are now…
