Virus to push more CT farmers online

Wine, honey and jam from Jones Family Farm can now be bought online.

It wasn’t an option a month ago, but as the coronavirus pandemic closed tasting rooms and put new social distancing restrictions in place, farms have had to go online to help get their products to consumers.

Online orders will remain even once the pandemic is over, said Tom Harbinson, the facilities and hospitality manager at Jones in Shelton.

“In the midst of this adversity, there’s a chance to expand,” Harbinson said.

Some farmers markets are offering online and call-ahead orders to further limit person-to-person contact. The state Department of Agriculture and the CT Northeast Organic Farming Association partnered during the pandemic to expand the list of local produce in their online map, which also lists the different buying options for the markets, farms and farm stands.

In the short-term, farmers markets will have additional safety measures. New Milford’s farmers’ market will open on May 9 with the booths spaced out, one-way paths around the market and a limit on the number of customers at a booth at a time.

These online options and safety protocols are important with more people turning to local food sources as grocery stores’ shelves empty of certain items due to breaks in the national food supply chain .

“We’re seeing great things from people able to sell directly farm to table,” said Bonnie Burr, with the University of Connecticut Agriculture Extension.

Burr said there has also been a spike in people buying chicks so they can start coops to collect their own eggs. The extension office has fielded more inquiries on how to start vegetable gardens.

How the office interacts and troubleshoots with the public is also changing, as gardeners reach out through their smartphones to see what’s wrong with their plants instead of going to the office.

“We’re doing a lot more online diagnostic work than we’ve ever done,” Burr said.

She doesn’t expect successful backyard gardens to have an impact on local farms’ sales, which will offer produce residents aren’t growing. She also expects people to turn out to pick-your-own farms this summer, though the experience might look different.

Jones will do a mix of selling pre-picked berries and having customers reserve a time to pick in the fields before arriving. Guests will also be separated by at least a row so they can maintain the proper 6 feet while harvesting strawberries.

“You’re not going to be able to jump in the car and come over anymore,” Harbinson said.

The state and extension office also put out guidelines for pick-your-own farms, building on the existing health guidelines and adding more with a farm focus, such as offering pre-pay options and customers only using the provided containers.

Burr said a big question will be how the coronavirus changes the agriculture experience, as what was once a wholesome trip to the farm is now surrounded with hyper food-safety awareness.

Harbinson said visitors will still have a good time, they’ll just have to approach it more as “farmers harvesting a crop.”