Local NJ Farmers Fill the Gaps Within the Nation’s Broken Food Supply Chain
During what has become a global emergency, a primary concern becomes our nation’s food security. In the last two months America has seen widespread panic buying from consumers, major dairy farming corporations dumping thousands of gallons of milk and in recent weeks a reduced selection of meat in grocery stores linked to a strained supply chain.
At least 22 major meat processing plants across the country shut down due to sick employees and as many as 20 employee deaths have been reported. Because of closures, beef production is down 35 percent from one year ago according to the USDA’s weekly report from May 4. Factory and wholesale farmers have suffered huge losses in demand with major clients including schools, restaurants and universities indefinitely shut down.
Despite major losses across the board in agriculture, local direct-to-consumer farmers in New Jersey have risen to the occasion to provide to their communities. In central New Jersey, many small family farms have transformed their businesses to adapt to the surge in demand for fresh produce and meat in a short time frame.
At the family owned Norz Hill Farm in Hillsborough, New Jersey they’ve set up an open-air farm market offering produce and meat with strict socially distanced protocols in place. Employees serve as personal shoppers and select desired produce for each individual customer.
Before the outbreak of COVID-19 the Norz family was only selling meat and eggs to local consumers. After hearing locals have been left with scarce options at overrun supermarkets they stepped up to supply the growing demand for varied quality produce. They quickly began growing and sourcing in-demand produce locally to meet the demand. Owners Debbie and Rich have the help of their three children but they’ve had to hire additional employees in the past weeks to keep up.
They’ve also used their market to provide an outlet to other local farmers. Two local farmers selling their products at Norz include aquaponic lettuce farmers Aqua Sprout Farms and garlic farmer, River Lea House LLC.
Fourth generation farmer Debbie Norz said they’ve seen “a lot of new customers.” New people are coming to get produce they can’t find elsewhere. Debbie believes it is also the desperate desire for security and community that has driven so many locals to her market.
Norz said, “They feel safe and secure here. Some of it is because they trust us, some of it is because they know they’re getting good food and produce and some of it is because they feel like they’re a part of the community and they’re helping me.”
Fifth generation meat and vegetable farmer, Dale Johnson has also seen a massive surge in consumer demand at his farm, Bridgepoint Run Farm in Montgomery, NJ. This family run farm specializes in grass-fed beef. They also have an expanding vegetable produce operation. Johnson said, “For our spinach, I used to be lucky if I sold 10 bags a day. Now we’re selling 60, 70, even 80 bags a day.”
To cater to the growing demand for local produce they’ve strayed from planting an abundance of commodity crops and are instead focusing on planting more edible foods. “We planned accordingly and planted more vegetables than we usually would.” Johnson said.
For the last five years they’ve offered home delivery services for their beef products, but the service did not take hold until this March. The demand for local beef has skyrocketed according to Johnson, however this demand has proven more difficult to meet.
“We’ve sold out of all our products which is awesome. But at the same rate I’m turning a lot of people away that I would love to be able to sell products to but I just don’t have at this point.” he said.
Even preceding the pandemic New Jersey meat farmers have struggled with a strained supply chain. Specifically there have been problems with overwhelmed butchers. Because there are no USDA certified custom butchers in the state of New Jersey, Johnson along with other Jersey meat farmers have to bring their cows across the Delaware to Pennsylvania and Delaware where there are a handful of USDA certified butchers.
“There’s only so many of them.” Johnson explained. Now with major meatpacking plants shut down smaller butchers are more overwhelmed than ever. He typically schedules butcher dates just a month in advance, but after his scheduled butcher date on May 15, he wasn’t able to get his next appointment until September 15.
“I’m going to be sold out of my May 14 stock by June and I’m going to have nothing to sell my customers all summer unless I seek an alternative or drive six hours to another butcher.” Johnson said.
Local farmers aren’t the only ones in the industry making major adjustments to cater to locals. Many wholesale farmers that previously supplied high quality goods to restaurants have entirely transformed their operations into home delivery services.
Brookside Farms Home Delivery in Rahway, New Jersey was solely a restaurant supplier two months ago. But that market has become largely obsolete. Owner George Seamon is known in the business for hand picking top line produce for three and four star restaurants throughout New Jersey. After relentless encouragement from his four kids, his entire family came together at the end of March to reinvent the business.
Every week, they offer a new farm style produce box with 20 to 30 of the freshest, most in season items Seamon finds from a huge selection of produce at Huntspoint Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY.
Seamon’s 30 year old daughter, Bridget Riepl said, “Just through Facebook and Instagram and all of our family putting it out there, the first week we had over 400 customers.”
She added, “It was almost immediately, a viral reaction that was extremely positive.”
Though Seamon is hoping for a resurgence in the restaurant industry on the other side of the pandemic, the continuation of their new home delivery services is something he is seriously considering.
“We’ve all just kind of picked what’s convenient because we’ve been able to but now that’s been taken away to some extent.” Riepl stated.
Overall farmers in New Jersey are noticing a spike in consumer interest in buying locally. Local farmers can offer in-demand quality products, the security of open-air shopping and a connection with the community where it’s currently lacking.
“It’s a fact that people are on board with the local thing right now and for the most part they’re willing to pay a little bit more.” Johnson said.
Many farmers share the hope that this is a moment of awareness for consumers to reevaluate where they get their food. Subsequently there is a hope that they realize the great value in buying from your local farmer.
Riepl said ➤ , “It’s a no-brainer in the sense that, you’re supporting a local business and you’re getting something that you really need without that risk of having to be in the grocery store. Or even if it’s not that risk, the having to wait on line hoping they’re going to have anything you want.”
Stuck at home, without the option to dine out, people are cooking more meals at home. Riepl said her friends are excited to cook with the produce in Brookside’s weekly farm boxes.
“I think that we’re going to see shifts in so many ways. One of the huge ones I envision is just more family dinners that we’re actually cooking and sitting down together.” Riepl said.
It is uncertain whether this period of lock down will permanently change consumer habits. With local farmer’s influx of new customers, it’s hard to say what percentage they’ll retain when the pandemic reaches some sense of an end.
Johson said, “I think we’re definitely going to retain a good amount of people that will keep coming to my farm. But you know you’re going to have a good amount that are just going to say ‘screw this I’m going back to ShopRite.’”
Norz said ➤, “I think people are now going to start making sure that they’re putting more effort in, coming to the farms and connecting with the farmers because we’re right here.”
➤“I think it’s revolution of sorts. I really do. But I don’t know how long it’s gonna last or if people will stick with it. Time will tell.” Johnson concluded.
If you’re especially interested and would like to hear more about the experiences of local farmers in New Jersey listen to the podcast below. I spoke with local beekeeper, my aunt, Anna Farneski to hear how her honey business has been impacted by the pandemic. She also shared her opinions on the long term changes we might see in consumer habits on the other side of this.
