Consumers turning to local growers for produce as investigators seek source of intestinal virus

Consumers are turning to produce from local farmers 

in light of a quickly spreading intestinal virus. (Shelly Paul, Unsplash.com)

The source of a virus quickly spreading throughout the United States has yet to be identified, though lettuce is believed to be a likely suspect. The Food and Drug Administration identifies Cyclosporiasis as an intestinal illness caused by parasites associated with all kinds of fresh produce. It occurs only in humans and the most common symptom is diarrhea. 

Produce farmers are facing scrutiny as investigators look into their methods and hygiene, and as consumers turn to trusted local growers, reports Austin Mirmina in CT Insider. Mirmina visited the DeFrancesco farm in Northford, CT, and learned that the farm’s produce stand has been very busy. “I noticed yesterday our lettuce cooler was completely cleared out,” said co-owner Mike DeFrancesco. “I’m seeing a lot of people buying three or four heads of lettuce at a time, when normally people would buy just one head.”

Sara Moniuszko reports in USA Today that as of July 15, 1,645 cases of the illness had been confirmed with more than 5,100 being investigated across 34 states. A cluster of cases in Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia are likely linked, according to the CDC. The outbreak in those states is believed to be directly tied to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants and distributed by Taylor Farms.

Jamey Lee reports in Market Watch that the illness may have more than once source and might not end until August, and this outbreak appears to be the largest on record.

U.S. food bank system is in distress: 'The urgency of this crisis cannot be overstated'

The Food Bank of Northern Nevada delivers fresh food to seniors,
including those in rural communities. (KFF Health photo)

Slapped with funding cuts and spiking demand, food banks are limping forward without a clear idea of how to fill the gaping hole federal resources used to fill. The financial cuts are especially hard on rural food banks that may lack access to food donations from multiple businesses and grocery stores.

"Food bank managers across the country say their supplies have been strained by rising demand since the Covid pandemic-era emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits ended two years ago and steepening food prices," reports Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez of KFF Health News. "Now, they say, demand is compounded by recent cuts in federal funding to food distribution programs that supply staple food items to pantries nationwide."

The deep cuts began in March when the Department of Agriculture lopped off $500 million from the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which purchases food from U.S. farmers and distributes it to food banks across the country. Rodriguez writes, "The program has supplied more than 20% of the distributions by Feeding America, a nonprofit that serves a network of over 200 food banks and 60,000 meal programs."

Additional demand paired with waning resources "is especially problematic for rural communities, where the federal program might cover 50% or more of food supplied to those in need, said Vince Hall, chief government relations officer of Feeding America," Rodriguez explains. The EFAP was a lifeline for rural residents facing food insecurity, but that safety net is gone. Hall told Rodriguez, “The urgency of this crisis cannot be overstated."

Local food banks are also grappling with a second $500 million cut from the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which aimed to help governments and schools purchase fresh food and produce from local growers.

Reductions to SNAP benefits, such as those currently being considered by lawmakers, could mean some Americans will go hungry. "A proposed budget resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in April would require $1.7 trillion in net funding cuts, and anti-hunger advocates fear SNAP could be a target," Rodriguez reports. "More people living in rural parts of the country rely on SNAP than people in urban areas because of higher poverty rates, so they would be disproportionately affected."

Opinion: Farmers are working to bridge the producer-consumer divide. Here are ideas on how to do it.

GMO crops still make some Americans leery. Explaining what
they are can help create understanding. (Adobe Stock photo)

Some Americans believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Some think Genetically Modified Organism crops, also known as GMOs, can cause autism. While neither of these ideas is true, they are examples of how removed many Americans are from their food sources, which is something U.S. farmers are working to change, writes Holly Spangler in her opinion piece for Prairie Farmer.

Since the early 2000s, U.S. farmers have invested millions of dollars "to help consumers understand where their food comes from and how modern ag helps feed the world," Spangler explains. "To fight the agriculture disconnect, the Illinois Farm Families Coalition has produced two Super Bowl commercials, bussed moms to farms, bussed farmers to Chicago, and reminded Illinoisians that farm families own and operate 96% of all farms in Illinois, via the We Are the 96 campaign."

But as long as Americans remain uncertain about where and how their food is produced, there will be a significant degree of distrust between farmers and consumers. "A 2022 University of Minnesota study revealed that just 24% of U.S. adults have a high degree of trust in the information they receive about food production," Spangler writes. "Only 27% of all survey respondents said they had a 'very favorable' impression of U.S. agriculture and food production. . . . It’s no surprise that farmers feel misunderstood or even under attack."

How can the farmer-to-consumer information breakdown be repaired? Through connection. Spangler explains, "What really connects with consumers? Shared values. When you share that you worry about the safety of your drinking water the same way they do, they will pay attention. And when you share that you want your family to eat healthy and safe food the way they do, they will listen."

When farmers share their values, such as humane animal
treatment, they can reconnect with consumers. (AS photo)

Even when connections can't be immediately forged, Spangler says, "There's still plenty to talk about. . . . Like, explaining the science behind GMO crops and how they don’t cause cancer, autism, allergies or gluten intolerance. . . . Arm yourself with good news. I often think back to farmer Mike Martz telling a group of Chicago women about the healthy and unhealthy fats in steak. 'The fat in the marbling is actually monounsaturated fat. That’s the healthy fat, like olive oil. We call those flecks of flavor!' Martz said. The unhealthy fat? That’s the thick white stuff on the outside that you usually cut off."

Bring the facts and be ready to have a conversation. Spangler adds, "Statistics don’t change people’s minds. People change people’s minds."

Flora & Fauna: Considering Waygu cattle; bot swims like a fish; maple syrup debates

Mallie Shuster checks on his Wagyu cow-calf herd.
(Eleven Oaks Farm photo via Lancaster Farming)

Want a better steak or burger? Cattleman Mallie Shuster recommends filling your wallet with cash and choosing a restaurant with Waygu beef. "Shuster remembers how he got the idea to raise Wagyu cattle. He was out to dinner with friends and ordered a cut from this Japanese breed known for producing highly marbled, uniquely flavored beef," reports Dave Lefever for Lancaster Farming. "But it wasn't the flavor that got his attention." It was the price tag. Read how Shuster convinced his father to raise Waygu cattle to add to their company's bottom line.

The cinnamon in morning oatmeal, rolls and any number of baked treats is not true cinnamon. Instead, most cinnamon on U.S. grocery store shelves comes from a cheaper source -- the cassia tree. "Ceylon cinnamon is often called 'true' cinnamon and is native to Sri Lanka. Today, some 80% of Ceylon cinnamon is produced on the island," reports Olivia Peluso of Ambrook Research. "Cassia [cinnamon] is a ground, reddish-brown powder with a strong, spicy-sweet flavor. . . . While the Food and Drug Administration acknowledges them as distinct substances, it doesn't require they be packaged as such."

This clownfish bot looks and swims like a fish as it
collects water research. (Aquaai photo via CNN)

The world's water sources face so many stresses from climate change, multiple pollutants and urbanization that they can't rebalance their ecosystems. Water research offers a path to explore how humans can help these precious resources recover. The technology company Aquaai has developed a fishlike drone to "collect data from underwater environments," reports Amy Gunia of CNN. "Powered by batteries, they are designed to look and swim like fish, with a body and tail that swish from side-to-side as they cruise through the water. With their orange, white, and black neoprene skin, they resemble the clownfish star Nemo."

While Quebec dominates the global maple syrup market, determining which region makes the best-tasting syrup is a stickier dispute with Vermont. "Vermont is about 9,600 square miles and boasts more than six million sugar maple and red maple trees on tap. Quebec is a 595,000-square-mile province. . . hosts a maple syrup cartel. Its 50 million syrup-producing maple trees yield around 72% of the world's supply," reports Vipal Monga of The Wall Street Journal. "Without much argument, Quebec is known as the Saudi Arabia of maple syrup. Vermonter Pat Leclaire isn't particularly impressed. . ." 

As summer farmer's markets and local gardens start to produce luscious fruits and vegetables, consumers can rejoice in all the options but then wonder which ones are the best. Laureate professor in nutrition and dietetics Clare Collins shares in The Conversation her top four plant-based foods to eat.

Tomatoes and pumpkins are packed with nutrition.
(Adobe Stock photo)

Tomatoes: "A review of six trials asked people to consume tomato products equivalent to 1-1.5 large tomatoes or 1-1.5 cups of tomato juice daily for about six weeks. . . . Researchers found people who did this had reduced blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood that increases heart disease risk), as well as lower total and 'bad' cholesterol levels. . . .These people also had increased levels of 'good cholesterol".

Pumpkin: "Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, which is also a carotenoid (plant pigment). It gets converted into vitamin A in the body and is used in the production of antibodies that fight infection. It's also needed to maintain the integrity of cells in eyes, skin, lungs and the gut."

Mushrooms and oats also top Collins's list. Click here to learn what benefits fungi and oats have to offer.

Campbell's is grappling with how to be 'environmental sustainable' with its soups and agricultural purchases

Chief Agricultural Expert Harry Hall inspects tomatoes at Campbell's
research farm in the 1920s. (Photo via Lancaster Farming)

MMM MMM GOOD. Most Americans know that only means one thing -- Campbell's soup. What most of us may not know is where all those MMM MMM-ingredients came from, or what the agricultural practices of a company as dominating as Campbell's means. "But the Camden, New Jersey-based company is grappling with what it means to be environmentally sustainable as a major purchaser of agricultural products," reports Dan Sullivan of Lancaster Farming. "Supplier Ronnie Abrams grows 130 acres of potatoes and 130 acres of carrots in Burlington, New Jersey. . . . But Campbell's long ago shifted its tomato production to California, which grows 90% of the nation's and about a third of the world's processing tomatoes."

Campbell's soups are filled with tomatoes, wheat and potatoes, and the "company contracts with local produce growers, too. Some of the company's relationships with family farmers date back more than 70 years," Sullivan writes. "The company has sustainable agriculture programs for each of its key ingredients, part of a goal to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of its supply chain 25% by 2030."

The company used to breed "its own tomato varieties and send armies of agronomists to work with farmers," Sullivan reports. "Today, field staff visit the company's growers, helping them plan the season, monitoring the crop, and making sure Campbell's gets the tomatoes it needs in August and September." Ryan Vroegindewey, Campbell's associate director for sustainable agriculture, told Sullivan: "The crops represent important opportunities for us as a company to steward the environment and to partner farmers to steward the land that these crops are grown on."

When questioned on the company's "wisdom of the company putting all its tomatoes in one basket by growing in one small region of the country — and in an area with such a scarcity of water — rather than diversifying production geographically," Sullivan writes. "Vroegindewey said Campbell's continues to contract with some producers in other parts of the country for other agricultural products, and 80% of its contract tomato growers now use subsurface drip irrigation."

When asked if "Campbell's would consider shifting more production to the East to support sustainability principles, Vroegindewey said, 'I think people are thinking about it. . . . We're in California. We're there to stay.'. . . . Campbell's products are in 95% of U.S. homes, the company employs 14,500 workers across North America, and it has annual net sales of $9.4 billion."

Pick-your-own produce model offers farmers benefits and risks; it's part of agri-tourism, which has tripled since 2002

Tanner's Orchard near Speer, Ill., has offered U-pick since 1947.
The orchard has 11,000 apple trees. (Photo from Tanner's website)

Strawberries, peaches, berries, apples, pumpkins and a delightful December pine: The list of pick-your-own wonderfulness can start in May and go through year's end. But U-pick origins were born out of desperation, and in a culture of "instant-everything," its success is a curiosity.

"The concept first emerged during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when prices for fruit and vegetable crops reached historically low levels as war-torn countries began to recover and no longer relied on U.S. exports," reports Shelby Vittek of Ambrook Research. "For many growers, it was cheaper to leave their crops in the field to rot than to harvest and sell them for a pittance. That's when a ragtag bunch of cherry growers in Wisconsin decided to offer their fruit directly to the public for pennies a pound. The only catch was they'd have to come out to the farm to pick the cherries themselves. And so the bustling pick-your-own industry was born."

The model offers benefits, "reduces a farm's reliance on labor for harvesting, and eliminates the need for working with distributors, giving farms immediate access to the profits," Vittek writes. "Agritourism has boomed over the last two decades, with revenue more than tripling from 2002 to 2017. According to the USDA, agritourism revenue grew from $704 million in 2012 to $950 million in 2017. Pick-your-own farms have played a key role in that growth."

Pick-your-own operations also have unique costs and risks. Megan Bruch Leffew, a value-added agriculture marketing specialist at the University of Tennessee, told Vittek, "Consumers don't often know how to appropriately pick and can damage plants, so there's a loss aspect that needs to be built in when folks are pricing product." Also, "You need some added risk management and insurance," and "People are going to need access to a restroom, handwashing, and other things."

Poor weather "has the potential to wipe out an entire crop for a U-pick farm," Vittek notes. "This year, fruit growers across the country have experienced significant crop loss after erratic weather. Georgia lost more than 90% of its peach crop this year due to an abnormally warm winter."

But pick-your-own seems to have crowd appeal, even when a crop is scarce. "Our culture is starving for connections to nature. It's one more way that people can feel connected — connected to their food, connected to where they live," Anu Rangarajan, director of the Cornell University Small Farm Program, told Vittek. "U-picks do a huge service for connecting people to our food system, and especially the seasonality of food … and [gives farmers] the opportunity to have important conversations with people who can support agriculture more actively."

Quick hits: Health benefits of outdoors; dealing with yard pests and winter blahs; can a state have an official aroma?

   "Yellowstone" cast (Paramount Network photo via IMDb)

Get rural-centric with "Yellowstone." Part Western, part soap opera, it's one of the most-watched shows on TV. It’s also the centerpiece of the growing rural entertainment empire.

The smell of roasting chile peppers is what draws people to parking lots across New Mexico. That sweet, spicy aroma that brings watering mouths and nostalgia for home; so it makes sense that lawmakers are weighing whether to make green chile the state’s official aroma. . . . It all began with a classroom of fifth graders. 

Speaking of veggies, the Rural Mom has some tips for supporting your local farmers' markets. They will be coming soon.

Spending time in nature can be relaxing and rejuvenating. It might even lower a person's rate of hospitalization for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and related dementias, a large study showed.

Rendering from Encyclopedia Britannica

The University of Texas hosts an immersive summer Shakespeare program for rural Fayette County, Texas students to experience the Bard's work first hand. Professor Emeritus “Doc” Ayres at UT and his students are the subject of documentary called “Take Pains, Be Perfect,” which celebrates the half-century of performance and connection fostered in this theater barn in the country.

Fie, fie! Unknit those rows of mounded dirt that once were manicured lawn,
And dart not away from my hose and trap, oh, stealthy moles and voles,
To wound my yard so keenly, untamed shrews!
(Our adaptation of lines from Katherina in Act 5, Scene 1 of The Taming of the Shrew; for actual shrews and other yardly pests, read here on how to deal with them)

Head to the conjunction of folk-and-jazz-for-rock-but-pop that meets up at Western Animation Junction. And there you go. Schoolhouse Rock is 50 years old.

Snort. Whinny. Nicker. Neigh. Bray. Squeal. A visit to a horse barn, usually includes some comments from the four-legged creatures who are known to be curious and opinionated. These native and visiting horses weigh in on Lexington, Kentucky, which calls itself "Horse Capital of the World."

Salt. Sand. Pebbles. Cat litter. Yes, it's still snowing in some regions. "In these parts, driveways can break you or make you into a minor god worshiped by UPS and FedEx drivers, beloved of propane delivery personnel, and heavily recruited by rural volunteer fire departments. Here's how to keep on, keeping on as winter continues.

Science explains seasonal affective disorder, which can occur in both winter and summer. Here's why it happens, and how you might treat it.

Quick hits: Wikipedia gets a makeover, unions' share keeps falling, religion is changing, best ideas do come in showers

Wikipedia's subtle makeover includes an updated
table of contents section. (Image by Wikipedia)

Wikipedia is one of the world’s top 10 most visited websites, and a resource used by billions every month, is getting its first desktop makeover in more than a decade, TechCrunch reports.

The share of American workers in a labor union in 2022 was 10.1 percent, the lowest figure since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking it almost 40 years ago. In 2021 the figures was 10.3 percent. The decline "comes despite the highest labor union approval rate — 71 percent, according to Gallup — since 1965," Politico Nightly notes.

A Waterloo, Iowa, sports reporter who doesn't like filling in on the weather beat returns to it reluctantly, after a viral rant: ‘It’s pandesnownium!’

Insights on seven common farm shop tools include this: Created by engineers who never actually assembled or disassembled anything.

Engrossing photo essay in The Daily Yonder of Jace Charger, land defender. The piece documents a sage harvest on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, a critical form of self-care for them and their Indigenous community.

Climate change and dairy cows' stomachs: A climate solution is gurgling in there somewhere. A new partnership will work to reduce methane emissions from production of milk around the world.

Although routines can be magical, there is no magic routine. Using a little science can help.

1.6 million acres of U.S. corn is missing. Where did it go?

Ailing Earle, Ark., elected an 18-year-old mayor. Residents hope that Jaylen Smith’s youthful energy and sense of purpose can improve their fortunes. First goal: getting a town supermarket.

Orange you glad you're buying bananas? Here's the juice on orange prices.

You do get your best ideas in the shower. The science of shower thoughts teaches us the importance of mind-wandering for creativity.

American religion is not dead. It's changing. Traditional worship may be in decline but meaningful growth can be found, Wendy Cadge and Elan Babchuck write for The Atlantic.

The 411 on electric tractors, is John Deere pushing them? AgWeb has an exclusive interview with Jahmy Hindman, the company's chief technology officer.

Ready for a reset? 13 tips to make your job less stressful.

Scientists say modern farming methods and climate change have made modern produce and grains less nutritious

The advent of modern farming methods has caused fruits, vegetables and grains become less nutritious over the past 70 years, Stacey Colino reports for National Geographic. Multiple scientific studies show that many current crops have "less protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin, and vitamin C than those that were grown decades ago," Colino writes.

Climate change and rising carbon-dioxide levels are partly to blame, but the biggest problem is "modern agricultural processes that increase crop yields but disturb soil health," Colino reports. "These include irrigation, fertilization, and harvesting methods that also disrupt essential interactions between plants and soil fungi, which reduces absorption of nutrients from the soil."

Nutritional decline could make it harder for people to get the nutrients they need to fight off chronic illnesses, said David R. Montgomery, a professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington and co-author with Anne Biklé of What Your Food Ate. It's increasingly important to grow nutritionally dense foods, he told Colino: "We can’t afford to lose arable land as population grows. We need to prevent further damage and work to restore fertility to already degraded lands."

Montgomery and other experts still encourage people to eat more fresh produce and less-processed foods, but told Colino they hope this knowledge will inspire more people to care about how their food is grown.

Fresh veggie imports up 200% in past two decades; USDA digital magazine Amber Waves has more data-rich reports

Increasing consumer demand for year-round access to fresh produce has driven a 200% increase in fresh vegetable imports over the past two decades. That brings a host of challenges to U.S. farmers.

The top two sources of imported fresh veggies are Mexico (77%) and Canada (11%), thanks to favorable trade agreements, a stronger dollar, and those countries' ability to cater to Americans' tastes with affordable organic and greenhouse-grown produce, Wilma Davis and Gary Lucier report for Amber Waves, a digital Agriculture Department magazine.

Extended market-window creep is another reason for Mexico and Canada's increasing dominance of imported vegetables: The U.S. once imported vegetables mostly when they were out of season domestically, but vegetables grown under greenhouses or in much warmer climates make it easy for American wholesalers or grocers to buy imported produce even when it's in season in the U.S. For example, "Summer is historically the primary market window for U.S. producers; however, fresh vegetable import volumes from Mexico during the summer months have shown substantial increases in the past 15 years," Davis and Lucier report. (The proliferation of imported, greenhouse-grown produce helped spur AppHarvest, a start-up building huge greenhouses in Kentucky.)

Amber Waves has other excellent reports from USDA's Economic Research Service that can inform rural reporting. Here are a few others from this month's edition, and from ERS's home site:

Food pantry use increased from 2019 to 2020 for most types of U.S. households. "Data from the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement sponsored by the USDA Economic Research Service shows that use of food pantries increased from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, 6.7 percent of all U.S. households reported using a food pantry, an increase from 4.4 percent in 2019," Alisha Coleman-Jensen and Matthew P. Rabbitt report.

Free meal sites expanded rapidly to provide meals to children during the early months of the pandemic, Saied Toossi reports. A working paper provides more details, and notes that free meal sites are more prevalent in urban areas, leaving many rural communities underserved.

Off-farm organizations are responsible for bringing 40% of total irrigation water applied to croplands. Several federal agencies collaborated on a survey of such organizations in 2019, the first federal attempt to collect nationwide data on such organizations since the Census Bureau's 1978 Census of Irrigation Organizations. The report highlights broad trends, including how much water is lost to seepage because of unlined irrigation canals. Considering the massive drought in the West, that data matters. Read more here.

AppHarvest stakes 2 more greenhouses in Appalachian Ky.

Tomatoes growing at AppHarvest's flagship site in Morehead (Image from WKYT-TV )

AppHarvest, the company building huge, high-tech greenhouses in Kentucky to grow vegetables and fruits, wants to have 12 sites by the end of 2025, and new locations announced Monday near Somerset and Morehead "will put the company nearly halfway there," Bill Estep reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A 30-acre greenhouse near Somerset will grow strawberries and a 15-acre one in Morehead will have leafy greens."

The venture-capital company, which went public in February, has grown by leaps and bounds since forming in 2017. Its 60-acre flagship site in Morehead has been growing tomatoes since 2020, and there are two other sites under construction: a 15-acre facility in Berea that will grow leafy greens and a 60-acre facility in Richmond for vine crops, Chris Radcliffe reports for Business Lexington.

AppHarvest employs nearly 500, mostly at its Morehead site; those under construction will employ hundreds more. Co-founder Jonathan Webb has said that bringing high-paying jobs to Eastern Kentucky, which has suffered a steep decline in coal jobs, is a key goal of the company. None of the sites are in the state's eastern coalfield, but are close to it, and are in "official Appalachia."

Webb also emphasizes environmental sustainability. "AppHarvest uses recycled rainwater to grow vegetables and fruit with 90 percent less water than field agriculture, producing more food with fewer resources, according to the company," Estep reports.

Another goal: bringing large-scale produce production back to the U.S. and protecting it from drought. Much of the nation's produce comes from California and Mexico, which are frequently hit with droughts. "Imports of strawberries to the U.S. have increased 70% in the last four years," Estep reports. "There is an opportunity for AppHarvest to replace some of those imports, Webb said."

High-tech rural Ky. greenhouse AppHarvest, which shipped its first tomatoes last month, begins public trading Monday

AppHarvest tomatoes are prepared for shipping. (Photo provided by AppHarvest)

AppHarvest, a company that aims to bring more high-tech agriculture jobs and fresh produce to Eastern Kentucky, is on a roll. The start-up, which Fast Company says may transform Appalachia into an "agricultural powerhouse," shipped its first tomatoes a few weeks ago, got a plug from Martha Stewart, and now it's set to make its stock-market debut.

Novus Capital Corp. completed its merger with AppHarvest this week, and on Monday the freshly-minted entity (which will be called AppHarvest) is expected to begin trade on the Nasdaq. AppHarvest CEO and founder Jonathan Webb will continue to lead, Jayson Derrick reports for Benzinga.

Project to bring high-tech agriculture jobs to Eastern Kentucky gets boost from the Netherlands government

A start-up that aims to bring more high-tech agriculture jobs—and fresh produce—to Eastern Kentucky, has announced agreements with more than a dozen partners to help make the project a reality, Bill Estep reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

AppHarvest founder Jonathan Webb announced last summer that ground had been broken on a 60-acre greenhouse near Morehead, set to open this fall, that he hopes will be the first of many.

The new partners include the government of The Netherlands, several Dutch companies, the University of Kentucky, Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University, the University of Pikeville and Berea College, Estep reports.

"The Dutch government would put a trade office in Kentucky to boost Dutch investment in the state as part of the plan. The Netherlands is a leader in indoor agricultural production, making it the second-largest exporter of agricultural products behind the U.S. despite its tiny land area," Estep reports. "The technology AppHarvest will use was developed in the Netherlands."

As food goes to waste in pandemic, agricultural economists offer USDA unorthodox solution: buy it, pack it, distribute it

The pandemic hit during a vulnerable time for farmers and ranchers, creating a "perfect storm" that has made it difficult for them to get their products to people who need them.

"While there are organizations from Second Harvest to local independent food pantries working to address the issue of hunger in the U.S., they currently do not have access to the resources needed to handle the massive amount of food that is being destroyed," Harwood D. Schaffer and Daryll E. Ray of the University of Tennessee write in their latest "Policy Pennings" column.

The Department of Agriculture has set aside $3 billion to buy agricultural products to distribute to food banks and other community organizations that feed people. But though that aid was promised in mid-April, USDA didn't begin making the purchases until this week. That meant tens of millions of pounds of produce went to waste during harvest.

Schaffer and Ray have a solution that they say will likely be expensive, but ultimately more effective.

"Rather than compensating farmers for their losses, we are suggesting that Congress should empower the USDA to use that money—and more if needed—to purchase the crop and have it packed in household-sized packages. We have not read of vegetable-packing facilities being shut down for the coronavirus, but as they are used, we should make sure that they are operated in ways that provide a safe working environment for those involved," Schaffer and Ray write. "Once the vegetables are ready for fresh or frozen distribution, rather than reinventing the wheel, we should use the commercial food-distribution systems that normally would be carrying those vegetables. They would then transport the vegetables and any affected fruits to their local facilities, with the federal government covering the costs. At that point the commercial food-distribution services can then make these food products available, free of cost, to various food pantries in their normal distribution area."

Dairy products should be treated much the same way as produce, write Schaffer and Ray. Meat is more complicated. Read more here.