Friday, May 8, 2020

Farmers turn to market to fix supply-chain damage

Pennsylvania Dairy Farmer Decides to Bottle His Own Milk Rather than Dump It. Sells Out in Hours | Return to Now - Sara Burrows:
May 4, 2020 - "When Ben Brown’s dairy processor told him they could no longer buy his milk, he got to work bottling it himself.

"Brown’s Whoa Nellie Dairy farm has been providing high-quality, cream-line milk since the 1700s. He sells some of it at his on-site farm store, but a large portion of it used to be sold to a dairy processor who pasteurized and bottled it for local restaurants and markets.

"When he realized he would have to dump hundreds of gallons of milk each week until his 70 milking cows dried up, ... he got to work, literally around the clock, pasteurizing it in small batches in his 30-gallon vat and bottling it up. He posted on Facebook that they’d open up the farm store for additional hours to sell the milk directly to consumers, and the response was overwhelming:

"The line to get in the store was at least 20 customers deep for several hours, the local news reported.... They sold out within hours and have sold out almost every day since. On days they don’t sell out, they donate their fresh, non-homogenized milk to local charities."
Read more: https://returntonow.net/2020/05/04/pennsylvania-dairy-farmer-decides-to-bottle-his-own-milk-rather-than-dump-it-sells-out-in-hours/

Florida Farmers are Selling Directly to Consumers to Avoid Produce Dumps | Return to Now - Sara Burrows:
May 1, 2020 - "Last month, Florida farmers let countless tons of produce rot in their fields after the restaurants, theme parks and cruise lines they normally serve this time of year were suddenly closed due to nationwide quarantines. This month, they are changing their business model, selling directly to the consumers who are doing a whole lot more home-cooking these days....

"Florida farmers are getting help from the state department of agriculture, which has created a website to connect them to local buyers. Floridians can search the website for farms and co-ops near them and a list of what each farm offers.

"While some farms grow primarily mono-crops – such as tomatoes for ketchup – some are bio-diverse, organic farms with a wide variety of specialty produce that used to be sold in high-end local restaurants.... Some farms are even offering milkshakes, poultry, seafood and shell fish."
Read more: https://returntonow.net/2020/05/01/florida-farmers-sell-directly-to-consumers-to-avoid-produce-dumps/

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