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When the state of Ohio shut down all restaurants and bars on March 15 with the words: “This is the real thing; this is not a drill,” Kirk Holthouse realized he had a big problem.

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.

Sanfillipo Produce Co. has upgraded its online ordering system, said Jamie Sanfil-lipo, partner and sales manager.

Coastal Sunbelt Produce was in the room where it all started.

The struggles of U.S. foodservice operators have been well-publicized since March, and the ramifications for the produce trade are well-evident in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., markets.

The Chelsea-Everett area bordering Boston was hit hard — really hard — by the new coronavirus in March and April, but many of the region’s produce companies are inching their way back to better days.

Most people embark on a hodgepodge approach to building sustainability into their business plan, said Andrew Southwood, owner of Montreal-based Fresh Xpressions.

Montreal Produce Terminal Market moved in late spring from an outdoor terminal in the Central Market area to a $40 million, 120,000-square-foot renovated and rebuilt facility.

When C&C Produce Inc. decided to take part in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program, it gave the company an incentive to move forward with some needed enhancements.

Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt said consumers are seeing the value in buying locally grown produce more since the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of the supply chain.