In Defense of Redundancy
Nothing gets us focused on farms like empty shelves at the grocery store. Having farmed through three pandemics, I can all but predict how this will play out: panic-buying and stockpiling, fleeting interest in local agriculture and temporary acceptance of the true cost of food, followed by quick return to the convenience of pre-pandemic shopping. It will be as if this recent seismic shift never happened, and we’ll have lost a rare opportunity to make sure it doesn’t happen again…
On Sustainability And Affordability
Andrew Gunther Regarding the May 13th Bloomberg article “There’s Plenty of Meat in America—For Those Who Can Afford It” by Lydia Mulvany, Deena Shanker and Kim Chipman: The article opens with, “While many regular American grocers are running out of meat, specialty food producers have plentiful supplies -- for those who can afford it.” This does not sit well with an organization that certifies and supports independent farmers. Independent producers are one of the solutions to the country’s problem of meat…
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…
