Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Nearly a Third of Small, Independent Farmers Are Facing Bankruptcy by the End of 2020, New Survey Says
News
By News
Published 5 years ago on
May 20, 2020

Share

[aggregation-styles]

It seems an oasis of good news in a desert of bad: Small farmers who saw restaurant sales evaporate and farmers’ market sales erode, in the wake of COVID-19, have found alternative ways to sell produce. They contribute to boxes sold by shuttered restaurants, sell their own boxes out of their trucks, even offer delivery. And they’re selling retail, not wholesale, so the money’s good.

If chef and restaurateur Dan Barber asks how they’re doing, the unanimous answer is, “Great.”

But Barber has only to look a few weeks down the road to see bad news coming. The current model won’t survive the peak summer harvest, says Barber, who for 16 years has run the farm and restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns, about 30 miles northeast of New York City, in addition to the 20-year-old Blue Hill, in Manhattan. Unfortunately, he has numbers to back him up. ResourcED, a project he and his colleagues created to sell market boxes at both restaurants, has launched a survey of small farmers, concentrated at first in the Northeast but expanding coast to coast. Between 30 and 40 percent of them predict that they won’t be able to keep up with increasing volume.

Read More →

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

DON'T MISS

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

DON'T MISS

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

DON'T MISS

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

DON'T MISS

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

DON'T MISS

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

DON'T MISS

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

DON'T MISS

The Latest: Francis Is Remembered as a ‘Pope Among the People’ as He Is Laid to Rest

DON'T MISS

ICE Is Reversing the Termination of Legal Status for International Students Around the US

UP NEXT

Kennedy Declares ‘Sugar Is Poison’ While Announcing Ban on Food Dyes

UP NEXT

US to Phase out Many Synthetic Food Dyes, Kennedy and FDA Head Say

UP NEXT

RFK Jr Plans to Phase Out Artificial Dyes From the US Food Supply

UP NEXT

Kennedy Plans to Phase Out 8 Commonly Used Food Dyes

UP NEXT

Habit Burger & Grill Quietly Drops Impossible Burger From Menu

UP NEXT

Easter Desserts Anyone Can Make

UP NEXT

This Easy Crumble Has Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Vibes

UP NEXT

This Easy Crumble Has Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Vibes

UP NEXT

This Flour Makes Gluten-Free Baking So Good

UP NEXT

Food Poisoning While Traveling: What You Should Know

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

37 minutes ago

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

48 minutes ago

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

1 hour ago

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

1 hour ago

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

1 hour ago

The Latest: Francis Is Remembered as a ‘Pope Among the People’ as He Is Laid to Rest

2 hours ago

ICE Is Reversing the Termination of Legal Status for International Students Around the US

3 hours ago

Trump Is a Revolutionary. Will He Succeed or Fail?

3 hours ago

Trump Now Doubts Putin Wants to End Ukraine War, a Day After Saying a Deal Was Close

3 hours ago

We Need Proof of Life for the Makeup Artist Trump Sent to El Salvador

4 hours ago

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

WASHINGTON — Many Americans do not agree with President Trump’s aggressive efforts to quickly enact his agenda, a new poll finds, and ...

21 minutes ago

21 minutes ago

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

29 minutes ago

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

34 minutes ago

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

37 minutes ago

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

48 minutes ago

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

1 hour ago

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

1 hour ago

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

Rams
1 hour ago

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend