Keeping employees safe and getting produce to anxious consumers in the time of COVID-19 has become as big a challenge for farmers as growing a healthy crop.
“Labor has been our biggest challenge,” said Sarah Krzysik, public relations coordinator for Nature Fresh Farms’ greenhouses in Delta, Ohio.
“Our initial concern was with border closures and the uncertainty of the arrival of our temporary foreign workers,” said Krzysik, “but we are working closely with the U.S. labor department to help us with the H-2A program.”
She said changes implemented in the greenhouse to keep employees safe include staggering shifts, breaks and lunches and conducting a deep sanitization of all regularly-used surfaces in work areas.
Chadd Buurma, CEO of Buurma Farms, Willard, Ohio, said Ohio farmers were fortunate they were still in the off-season and not planting or harvesting when the virus arrived.
“This gave us a chance to adjust to the new world much like everyone else,” Buurma said, “and implement all the guidelines experts have advised.”
His first group of H-2A labor arrived in mid-May and was quarantined until they could start harvesting June 1.
“More labor will be coming in throughout June,” he said, “and we will use the same procedure.”
Michael Farms, Urbana, Ohio, has been upgrading its facilities to meet COVID-19 guidelines and shore up its existing commitment to food safety, said CEO Scott Michael.
“We’re putting in 12 additional sinks for employees to access,” said Michael, “as well as providing masks and communicating with workers about choices they can make to minimize their exposure to the virus.”
Since employees are no longer comfortable moving aside plastic flaps in doorways to keep air and bugs out, Michael has installed air curtains.
To minimize the touching of door handles, some have been outfitted with foot controls.
Wiers Farm, Willard, was in the midst of its Florida season in Sarasota when the virus hit, said CEO Ben Wiers, but despite a few challenges all proper safety measures were quickly put into place.
“Fortunately, transportation issues during the COVID crisis have been mitigated since the Wiers family also owns Dutch Maid Logistics,” Wiers said.
Located a mile from the family farm, the company owns around 200 trucks and more than 300 refrigerated trailers.
To reduce produce handling in-store, Wiers is packaging more of its vegetables under its Wiers Farm and Dutch Maid brands, while Michael Farms expects to bag more green beans this summer and see more of its sweet corn sold in tray packs.
