04/02/2020
In an effort to ensure safe and robust healthy food choices for Ohioans and some measure of stability for farmers who do not participate in commodity subsidy and insurance programs, OEFFA, PPM, OFMN, and OFPN are calling on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio legislature to take clear and decisive action to address these pressing needs by implementing the policies listed below:
· 1) In cooperation with OFMN and others, the Ohio Department of Agriculture should swiftly issue operational guidance to farmers markets, as well as other direct market agricultural outlets, and provide resources to help them implement necessary changes, including sanitation supplies.
“Despite being classified as ‘essential businesses,’ many farmers markets are scrambling to modify their operations to provide a safe marketplace for vendors and shoppers, and may remain closed if physical location, financial and/or staff limitations, or supply shortages prevent them from accessing the equipment, technology, and tools they need to operate responsibly,” said Michelle White, Columbus-area market manager. “Ohio farmers and food businesses rely on these markets, as do their employees and customers.”
· 2) The state should develop or expand buy-up programs, such as the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program, and pay farmers a fair price for produce, meat, and poultry items that have lost market venues and distribute them to the emergency food system.
“These programs are needed to help farmers remain solvent and to send much-needed food into the emergency food system to support Ohioans from other hard-hit sectors that have seen wages disappear, in some cases, overnight,” said Lipstreu.
· 3) The state should expand upon and increase opportunities for use of public assistance benefits with online food purchasing and delivery options, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program.
“There is an immediate opportunity to directly respond to the social restrictions and realities of COVID-19—especially on vulnerable populations—and mitigate the economic impacts within Ohio’s food and farming economy, while also providing long-term, systems-level solutions that will serve Ohio for years to come,” said Foreman.
· 4) The state should support the immediate expansion of Produce Perks to serve rapidly growing vulnerable populations, including individuals and households receiving unemployment benefits.
“The Produce Perks program provides a statewide infrastructure to support healthy food purchases for low-income populations that directly and immediately increase revenues for Ohio farmers,” said Ana Bird, Director of Programs for PPM.
· 5) The state should provide incentives and assistance for alternative sales methods such as on-line ordering platforms, curbside pick-up at farmers’ markets, or relocating to larger public spaces in order to reduce handling at markets and promote social distancing.
Only 8 percent of local food farms had an online marketplace in 2015, but the farms that did had higher local food sales and value-added sales. This suggests there is significant opportunity for growth in online local food sales. Helping producers incorporate online sales may help mitigate the estimated $688.7 million decline in sales due to social distancing. Furthermore, investing in online sales now may help small farms grow their business after this crisis passes.
· 6) The Ohio Department of Commerce should include farmers selling to direct food outlets, schools, restaurants, food hubs, and produce auctions in aid packages for small businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Optimistic estimates of lost farmers’ market sales may be $240 million nationally. Lost revenue may translate to the loss of farm businesses needed in the future.
“Direct market food and farm businesses are a growing sector of our economy and vital to community health. We ask the Governor and the Ohio legislature to act on these recommendations, protect these small businesses, and bolster our food system for the months ahead,” said Lipstreu.
CONTACT: Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Policy Director, (614) 421-2022, [email protected] Lauren Ketcham, OEFFA Communications Director, (614) 421-2022, [email protected] Tevis Foreman, Produce Perks Midwest, Executive Director, (513) 769-7375, [email protected] Jaime Hadji, Ohio Farmers Market Netw...
