Penn State, Pa. leaders discuss how best to support local agricultural industry amid COVID-19
With Penn State’s Ag Progress Days held virtually this year, visitors weren’t able to enjoy event staples like milkshakes and in-person tours. But leaders were able to use the virtual platform to continue conversations about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry, and how people can support their local farmers.
Over 200 participants tuned into a virtual town hall Monday, where Rick Roush, dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, and Russell Redding, state secretary of agriculture, discussed lessons learned from the pandemic and what’s needed in order to recover from the global health crisis — which has caused significant disruptions to food and agricultural markets, supply chains and workforces.
“We have really worked hard from the beginning since COVID-19 knocked on our door here in the States to keep people safe, keep people fed and agriculture and the food system working,” Redding said. “In that process, however, there were things revealed, and as I’ve said many times, some of those are good and some of them not so.”
From dairy farmers having to dump milk, retail stores experiencing disruptions to supply chains and families struggling to eat, the agricultural industry has been challenged by the coronavirus. But, Redding and Roush believe the pandemic has been a learning experience that has pushed farmers, food pantries and residents to adjust and rediscover resources already present in their communities.
Since March, the agriculture industry has balanced its production and distribution process, Redding said. Describing Pennsylvania’s food supply as “strong, abundant and safe,” he said there are still some “residual challenges” for retail and food service.
“Some of that is just going to take some time to work out, but overall, the health of the food system is good,” he said. “I think that’s a success story given where it was 120 days ago. I couldn’t have given you the same answer because it was in a free fall. We weren’t sure.”
With schools shut down and business restrictions put in place, one of the most visible impacts was displayed by farmers who had to throw away produce that couldn’t be sold in stores due to overstocking. Roush and Redding said the United States Department of Agriculture and other agencies helped distribute funds to make up for farmers’ loss of revenue and resources.
The charitable food system also helped find ways to use agricultural products to help families and individuals in need through food distribution programs, Redding said.
“The supply chain issues showed up in a lot of different places. In some cases, they were food banks,” Redding said, adding that food pantries across the state found ways to incorporate liquid milk into their supply chains.
Moving forward, Redding and Roush said it’s important to support the agriculture industry by examining local food distribution.
“I think the COVID-19 outbreak highlights how important that is to have it as a backup system for distributing food,” Roush said.
With a limited growing season in Pennsylvania, Roush thinks the pandemic has taught farmers and stores to partner together to coordinate season-long suppliers and taught residents to shop locally and support their local farmers.
“(Investing) in local meat process, looking at more dairy process, looking at farmers markets and farm-to-school, they’re all pieces that speak to keeping agriculture in the local community and supporting local agriculture,” Redding said.
This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 4:30 PM.
