In June, Fare Community Kitchen worked with the YMCA of the East Bay to feed students who were no longer receiving meals at school. Photo: Fare Community Kitchen

Prior to COVID-19, Fare Resources, a food consulting and catering company in Emeryville, earned most of its revenue from feeding tech clients. It created 1,500 meals a day for a few offices across the Bay Area.

These days, Fare Resources is still making 1,500 meals a day, but now its clientele is completely different. Since May 18, its become Fare Community Kitchen, a fiscally sponsored project of San Francisco-based cooking non-profit 18 Reasons, working to feed food-insecure communities.

When we lost all of our office clients, we wanted to find a way to keep things going, said Nina Mendez, the director. We knew there would be a need for food assistance, and the goal became not so much to keep us open, but to make sure food goes to people who need it most.

While disparate wealth and food insecurity have been longstanding problems in the Bay Area, with up to one in eight people being food insecure, Mendez noted that with COVID-19, that statistic will only get worse the longer the pandemic goes on.

Many believe we havent seen the full effects of [COVID-19] on food insecurity yet, she said.

When Fare Community Kitchen launched in May, it donated 900 meals. A week later, it gave away 1,880. It since has donated more than 38,000 meals to community partners in the East Bay, with the largest recipient being the Oakland Unified School District.

With schools being closed, children who qualified for the schools free lunch program were not only without a classroom, they were out what might have been their only full meal for the day. And in a household where a child qualifies for a free meal, the rest of the family is likely food insecure as well. With this in mind, Fare Community Kitchen creates family meals that feed four to six people. The meals are distributed at three public schools in Oakland: Sankofa Academy, Hoover Elementary and International Community School.

Although its customer base has changed, Fare Community Kitchens menu has not. Its new clients are getting exactly the same meals as its former paying clients, such as barbecue chicken with heirloom beans and grilled asparagus, polenta pie with beans and vegetables served with maple-glazed yams and hot sauce, and spaghetti and vegetarian meatballs made from lentils and quinoa with steamed broccoli. Everything is scratch-made, and almost everything is organic. Whatever food Fare Community Kitchen doesnt source from small farms, it gets in a partnership with Food Shift, the Alameda-based nonprofit that diverts food from going to waste.

The feedback were getting from family members is really incredible, said Mendez. Theyre not used to the level of thoughtfulness that goes into our dishes. Unfortunately, theres a much lower bar for food assistance meals. Were putting out the same exact food we put out to our tech clients, as we dont believe they deserve anything less than our paying tech clients. If anything, these people need such high-quality food even more.

Were putting out the same exact food we put out to our tech clients, as we dont believe they deserve anything less than our paying tech clients. Nina Mendez, director of Fare Community Kitchen.

So far, Fare Community Kitchen has partnered with about 12 other nonprofits, mostly smaller, grassroots organizations like Homies Empowerment, East Oakland Grocery Cooperative, East Oakland Collective and the YMCA of the East Bay that are lifelines to the communities they serve. Theyve also dropped off some meals in the Town Fridges that have appeared around town.

Although the company was able to pivot its mission for the times, it also was greatly affected by the pandemic. Fare Resources laid off a portion of its staff, but was able to retain about 26 employees for Fare Community Kitchen, Mendez said.

Wed love to be doing 1,500 meals every day like we were before, and be able to hire back all of our staff, she said. Fare Community Kitchen is currently looking for grants and donations from individual donors to help it reach its goal.

Weve just started looking for major donors, Mendez said. Were hitting the ground running for fundraising, applying for grants, and starting conversations with potential individual donors. We live in an area that has an incredible amount of individual wealth and were doing a good thing that we think is fundable.

Homies Empowerment, a nonprofit afterschool program in Oaklands Eastmont neighborhood, has greatly benefitted from Fare Community Kitchens work.

Two weeks after the shelter-in-place orders, Homies began operating its Peoples Freedom Store, giving away items like diapers, formula, toiletries and food, including fresh produce, flour, salt, sugar, rice and beans.

JP Hailer, coordinator of partnerships with Homies Empowerment said the freedom store serves some 400 families a week. Fare Community Kitchen has provided dry bulk items and organic produce for the store, as well as 20 vegan meals to feed the stores volunteer staff, who are also from within the community.

The meals are really high quality, Hailer said. I often hear the volunteers, and not only overhear how delicious they are, but theyre surprised by the fact that theyre vegan.

More:

Fare Community Kitchen donates meals that would have fed tech clients - Berkeleyside

Organic Food Market Overview 2020 2025

This has brought along several changes in This report also covers the impact of COVID-19 on the global market.

The risingtechnology in Organic Food Marketis also depicted in thisresearchreport. Factors that are boosting the growth of the market, and giving a positive push to thrive in the global market is explained in detail.

Organic food is food produced by methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. Global organic food market is expected to grow with increasing youth population, rising females in the workforce, accelerating economic growth, mounting e-commerce retail sales and increasing healthcare awareness.

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Key Competitors of the Global Organic Food Market are: , Amys Kitchen, Green and Blacks, Danone, Nestl, Ebro Foods, Wessanen, Earths Best, Organic Valley, WhiteWave Foods, Hain Celestial, General Mills

Historical data available in the report elaborates on the development of the Organic Food on national, regional and international levels. Organic Food Market Research Report presents a detailed analysis based on the thorough research of the overall market, particularly on questions that border on the market size, growth scenario, potential opportunities, operation landscape, trend analysis, and competitive analysis.

Major Product Types covered are: Fresh Produce Dairy Products Coffee Tea Meat Poultry Processed Organic Foods Others

Major Applications of Organic Food covered are: Supermarket/Hypermarket Grocery Stores E-Commerce Convenience Stores Others

This study report on global Organic Food market throws light on the crucial trends and dynamics impacting the development of the market, including the restraints, drivers, and opportunities.

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The fundamental purpose of Organic Food Market report is to provide a correct and strategic analysis of the Organic Food industry. The report scrutinizes each segment and sub-segments presents before you a 360-degree view of the said market.

Market Scenario:

The report further highlights the development trends in the global Organic Food market. Factors that are driving the market growth and fueling its segments are also analyzed in the report. The report also highlights on its applications, types, deployments, components, developments of this market.

Highlights following key factors:

:-Business descriptionA detailed description of the companys operations and business divisions. :-Corporate strategyAnalysts summarization of the companys business strategy. :-SWOT AnalysisA detailed analysis of the companys strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. :-Company historyProgression of key events associated with the company. :-Major products and servicesA list of major products, services and brands of the company. :-Key competitorsA list of key competitors to the company. :-Important locations and subsidiariesA list and contact details of key locations and subsidiaries of the company. :-Detailed financial ratios for the past five yearsThe latest financial ratios derived from the annual financial statements published by the company with 5 years history.

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Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments. Market share analysis of the top industry players. Strategic recommendations for the new entrants. Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets. Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations). Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations. Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends. Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments. Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements.

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Organic Food Market with Competitive Analysis, New Business Developments and Top Companies: Nestl, Ebro Foods, Wessanen, Earths Best, Organic Valley -...

Pandemic Impact Analysis 2020:

According to latest report, titled Organic Food and Beverages Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Grsowth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2026 The market is supposed to witness growth during the forecast period due to growing demand at the end user level. Geographical areas such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa are also considered for the market analysis.

Global organic food and beverages market is expected to register a healthy CAGR of 14.75% in the forecast period of 2019-2026.

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The well-established Key players in the market are:Tesco PLC,, Ahold Delhaize, The Kraft Heinz Company, Walmart, Conagra Brands Inc., COLEMAN NATURAL, Clif Bar & Company, HiPP, Applegate Farms LLC, General Mills Inc., Morrisons Ltd, FLORIDA CRYSTALS CORPORATION, Carrefour, AEON CO. LTD., United Natural Foods, Inc. , Waitrose & Partners, Hain Celestial, REWE Group, Wegmans Food Markets, Costco Wholesale Corporation, and Whole Foods Market IP. L.P.among others.

What ideas and concepts are covered in the report?

The assessments accounted by all the zones and the market share registered by each region is mentioned in the report.

The study sums up the product consumption growth rate in the applicable regions along with their consumption market share.

Data regarding the Organic Food and Beverages Industry market consumption rate of all the provinces, based on applicable regions and the product types is inculcated in the report.

Region-based analysis of the Organic Food and Beverages Industry market:

The Organic Food and Beverages Industry market, with regards to provincial scope is segmented into USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, and South East Asia. The report also includes information regarding the products use throughout the topographies.

Unique structure of the report

Organic Food and Beverages Market Trends | Industry Segment byProduct Type (Organic Food, Organic Beverages), Distribution Channel (Supermarket/Hypermarket, Convenience Stores, Specialist Stores, Internet Retailing, Others), Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2026

In May 2019, Nestle had announced that it will expand its product portfolio by offering organic food segment in India in Nestle Ceregrow. It will have ready-to-cook childrens breakfast cereal and many more products. This expansion has increased the product portfolio and expanded the market share of the company in the Indian market.

Market Drivers:

Market Restraints:

Increasing Disposable Income

Rising disposable income of the population is believed to positively impact the growth of the smart furniture over the forecast period. Further, changing lifestyle of the people such as increasing preference for smart furniture is anticipated to intensify the growth of global smart furniture market over the forecast period.

However, high cost of Organic Food and Beverages products is one of the key factors which are expected to limit the growth of global smart furniture market over the forecast period.

Some of the Major Highlights of TOC covers:

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Regional Market Analysis

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Production by Regions

Global Organic Food and Beverages Industry Production by Regions

Global Organic Food and Beverages Industry Revenue by Regions

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Consumption by Regions

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Segment Market Analysis (by Type)

Global Organic Food and Beverages Industry Production by Type

Global Organic Food and Beverages Industry Revenue by Type

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Price by Type

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Segment Market Analysis (by Application)

Global Organic Food and Beverages Industry Consumption by Application

Global Organic Food and Beverages Industry Consumption Market Share by Application (2014-2019)

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Major Manufacturers Analysis

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Production Sites and Area Served

Product Introduction, Application and Specification

Organic Food and Beverages Industry Production, Revenue, Ex-factory Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)

Main Business and Markets Served

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At the Last, Organic Food and Beverages industry report focuses on data sources, viz. primary and secondary sources, market breakdown and data triangulation, market size estimation, research programs, and design, research approach and methodology, and the publishers disclaimer.

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Organic Food and Beverages Market Segmentation with Top Competitors | Tesco PLC,, Ahold Delhaize, The Kraft Heinz Company, Walmart - Scientect

The Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) program, a rigorous sustainability certification for foods, fibers, and personal care products, is now publicly available after a yearlong pilot phase. The first ROC-certified products are also now on sale from producers including Dr. Bronners, Natures Path, Patagonia Provisions, and more.

The ROC standards, which began development in 2017, are based around three pillars: soil health and land management, animal welfare, and farmer and worker fairness. Farms and producers can be evaluated at three tiersbronze, silver, and goldand are required to make improvements to continually progress through the levels.

The Regenerative Organic Alliance exists to promote regenerative organic farming as the highest standard for agriculture around the world, Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) Executive Director Elizabeth Whitlow tells Food Tank. If youre talking about [regenerative] organic farming, you are in the living trust of the Earth. Any holistic system encompasses the health of all the living beings in that farming community. This means animals, that the livestock are treated humanely, and that workers are treated fairly and farmers are paid a premium.

To be eligible for ROC certification, participants must already be certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or an equivalent body in their country. ROC criteria then require additional sustainable and equitable practices beyond the scope of many national organic protocols. Requirements include crop rotation and yearlong cover, rotational grazing, livestock feed from organic or regenerative sources, and protections for workers against harassment, wage theft, and intimidation.

Bronze certification calls for 25 percent of an operations land to meet ROC criteria upon certification and 50 percent within five years, and silver requires 50 percent of land to be in compliance upon certification and 75 percent within five years. To qualify for gold ROC certification, 100 percent of an operations landand 100 percent of their revenuesmust meet all criteria immediately.

Growing food and fiber with industrial techniques and harmful chemicals is having devastating effects on human health and the health of our planet, Birgit Cameron, managing director of Patagonia Provisions, said in a statement. This type of farming degrades soil, which over time reduces our ability to grow healthy crops and contributes to the loss of topsoil and water-limited resources we cant afford to waste. Switching to regenerative organic practices builds healthy soil and draws even more carbon back into the ground, turning our agricultural system from problem to solution.

The Regenerative Organic Alliance was founded in 2017 by companies and organizations including Patagonia, Dr. Bronners, and the Rodale Institute. As good as USDA organic certification is, Whitlow says, ROA founding members thought a more high-aiming, all-encompassing standard was necessary to encourage consumers to support products that truly rebuild ecosystems. During the yearlong pilot program that ended in January 2020, certifiers travelled around the world to conduct audits, some of which lasted as long as 12 days; the ROA board then made final changes to the standards before the public launch.

Whitlow says shes painfully aware that all current ROA board members are white, and as the board looks to expand and fill an upcoming vacancy, she says a priority is recruitment of leaders from underrepresented backgrounds, including farmworker communities.

Looking at women of color who farmand especially those who are raising multi-species livestockis one of my emphases right now, Whitlow tells Food Tank. Our board needs people who are very versed in farming.

The cost structure for ROC certification is also designed to be friendly to small farmers, she says. To obtain ROC certification, participants pay a fee of approximately 0.1 percent of sales for farms and 0.2 percent of sales for brands, to cover auditing costs.

Whitlow says her next goal is to fundraise for a cost-share program to support farmers making the transition to regenerative practices. As ROC participants come into compliance with the standards, she says, they might see temporary dips in yields or extra costs to meet soil sampling requirements. Her hope is that the Regenerative Organic Alliance can help offset these costs to encourage participation.

The global crisis were in right now is highlighting the need for systemic change in our farming systems and food supplies, she tells Food Tank. Workers in food systems are risking their health and their lives every day, and because they dont get paid enough as is, they cant afford not to go to work. Its all part of the same problem and its all showing us the need for change and a systemic overhaul. Thats what were trying to accomplish.

Header photo courtesy Dr. Bronners via Regenerative Organic Alliance.

More here:

Regenerative Organic Certification Launches to Prioritize Soil Health and Farmworker Justice in Food Products - Food Tank

HOLDEN The best crop ever, Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis said last week as he delivered produce from the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction.

The farming project started 10 years ago is benefiting not only inmates, but also residents throughout Worcester County.

On Wednesday, the bed of a pickup was filled with crates featuring various produce headed to senior centers.

They really look forward to it, Holden Senior Center Director Louise Charbonneau said of the seniors as she examined the array of produce her crew would be delivering to town seniors.

Its a good assortment of what we grow, Evangelidis said. You name, were growing it.

Shaun Mullaney, an officer at the jail, said about 5,000 pounds of food have been given out so far this season, with about 500 pounds of produce harvested daily by the half dozen inmates who work the fields with jail staff.

Evangelidis said the crew makes regular deliveries. Last week, he stopped at the Holden Senior Center on his route, like an old-time milk man, dropping off milk crates filled with fresh, organic produce.

The 15-acre organic farm at the jail supplies the jails kitchens, and during harvest season, 500 to 900 pounds are donated each day to local senior centers, food pantries and Meals on Wheels programs.

I love being able to get out into the community, Evangelidis said as he greeted senior center staff in Holden.

His goal is a positive message. To let people know were out there. We will get through this.

The produce will move from the senior centers, such as Holden and Rutland, to residents.

Evangelidis lamented the fact the sheriffs popular senior picnic would not be held this year, but added, Well see you next year.

And Evangelidis gave a little extra plug for the quality of the crops, which include bell peppers, cabbage, celery, corn, green beans, zucchini, squash, eggplant, tomatoes and a special bonus in the fall, a crop of pumpkins that is distributed.

Its organic. Organic is like medicine, Evangelidis said.

The produce from the jail is not the only donation that was making its way out to Holden seniors.

Charbonneau said the community garden had also made food donations.

And The Queens Cups had added a little donation to the jail that the sheriff dropped off in a paper bag pastries from the bakery to add a little extra to the delivery.

Baskets will be put together to be distributed to seniors in town, Charbonneau said.

And she added that the baskets make it pleasing to the eye and the tastebuds.

For people who may not be getting out as much as ideal to get quality food, Its a great opportunity to get organic, fresh, home-grown produce, she said.

The crew from the center delivers appropriately sized baskets to individuals, giving them a heads-up call and then ensuring they pick it up, giving staff a chance to interact from a distance and seeing that the produce grown largely through the labors of inmates has a positive impact on the community.

Link:

Jails produce released to senior citizens - The Landmark

Achieving USDA organic certification is a challenging process, but well worth the hard work.

The hemp industry is rapidly growing, but its no secret that it suffers from a major legitimacy problem. When manufacturers choose to certify their products and processes under a third-party agency, such as the USDA, it is a way for those companies to gain credibility with new customers.

The USDAs organic certification program is a great way to increase transparency and trust with both ingredients and processes used within the hemp industry. Organic certification is a rigorousaudit program to review both manufacturing facility design and production process plans with the ultimate goal of increasing supply chain sustainability.

Investing in organic certification is a smart business decision especially in todays competitive CBD market. A recent Bloomberg report has shown that COVID-19 has actually accelerated organic food sales in the US due to increased demand for health-conscious foods and drinks. Sales of organic food and drinks surged 25% during the 17-week period ended June 27, according to Nielsen Data.

Organic certification is one way to differentiate between the thousands of seemingly identical CBD products being sold in the marketplace today. From a consumer perspective, organic certification provides both supply chain transparency and increases confidence with brands and products they already love. It also provides a form of quality assurance to skeptical consumers, especially those who avidly read product labels prior to making a purchasing decision. Members of this label reader demographic will consistently choose organic products for the quality and transparency it provides with pure and natural ingredients.

Not only does certification support ethical practices, its also good for business. According to the USDA, Food labeling can be confusing and misleading, which is why certified organic is an important choice for consumers. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for food that carries the USDA organic seal, or that contains organic ingredients.

Organic farming and production processes significantly contribute to increasing sustainability within the CBD industry. In general, organic farming is a growing practice for farmers across the US. According to the Pew Research Center, There were more than 14,000 certified organic farms in the United States in 2016, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics Service. This represents a 56% increase from 2011, the earliest comparable year. The USDA has found that organic production practices can improve water quality, conserve energy, increase biodiversity and contribute to soil health. In terms of organic farming, soil ecology and water quality are both protected by farmers committing to working within regulated guidelines.

Organic certification ensures transparency and trust with a consumer-friendly approach to ingredient products. This comes on the heels of research showing that the CBD market lacks credibility. Organic CBD should be the next step all brands should take to ensure theyre adapting to changing consumer preferences.

JoshEpstein

Chief Executive Officer

As CEO of Socati, Josh is the visionary behind the companys innovation-based mission. His success in the venture capital and cannabis industries drives his desire to deliver safe, quality CBD products to the market.

He was previously the president and COO of Nuvera, an international cannabis company which sold for $826 million in 2018. Prior to that, he was a partner with FastForward Innovations, an early stage venture capital firm investing globally in the healthcare, biotech, cannabis and gaming sectors. There he oversaw investments and divestitures of the firms portfolio companies in the U.S. and around the globe. He also previously practiced law with the international law firm Baker Botts, where he focused on venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and private and public securities offerings.

Josh is an advocate for sensible regulation of the hemp industry to ensure the delivery of safe, quality cannabinoid products to market and to stimulate industry growth. He was recently invited to address an advisory panel at the U.S Food and Drug Administrations first ever public hearing on cannabis and cannabis-derived products.

Josh earned a J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law, where he graduated with honors as a member of the Texas Law Review. He also holds an MBA in entrepreneurship from the Acton School of Business, where he was class Valedictorian. He resides in Austin, TX.

Read more:

Why Organic Should be the Future of CBD - Cannabis Industry Journal

Global Organic Food Additives market- Report defines the vital growth factors, opportunities and market segment of top players during the forecast period from 2019 to 2025. The report Organic Food Additives offers a complete market outlook and development rate during the past, present, and the forecast period, with concise study, Organic Food Additives market effectively defines the market value, volume, price trend, and development opportunities. The comprehensive, versatile and up-to-date information on Organic Food Additives market is provided in this report.

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The following manufacturers are covered: DuPont (U.S) Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.) Cargill (U.S.) Chr. Hansen Holding A/S (Denmark) Kerry Group Plc (Ireland) BASF SE (Germany) Novozymes (Denmark)

Segment by Regions North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia India

Segment by Type By Nutrients Phytonutrients Minerals Vitamins Others By Product Type Food coloring Emulsifiers Stabilizers Thickeners Humectants Other

Segment by Application Beverages Bakery and Confectionery Dairy Products Other

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Complete Analysis of the Organic Food Additives Market:

Comprehensive assessable analysis of the industry is provided for the period of 2019-2025 to help investors to capitalize on the essential market opportunities.

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Generation of this Global Organic Food Additives Industry is tested about applications, types, and regions with price analysis of players that are covered.

Revenue, sales are planned for this Organic Food Additives market, including with various essentials along yet another facet is assessed in this section for foremost regions.

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Organic Food Additives Market 2019- Industry Analysis by Size, Share Leaders, Growth Opportunities, Segmentation, Top Key Players Study and Regional...

Summary Company Announcement Date: August 17, 2020 FDA Publish Date: August 18, 2020 Product Type: Drugs Reason for Announcement:

Recall Reason Description

Due to microbial contamination

North Little Rock, AR, Maison Terre is voluntarily recalling all lots of its Goldenseal Root Powder, purchased from Starwest Botanicals, Sacramento, CA, and repackaged to the consumer level due to microbial contamination. FDA laboratory analysis of product samples found these products to be contaminated with various microorganisms including: Enterobacter cloacae, Cronobacter sakazakii, Cronobacter dublinensis, among others.

Risk Statement: The use of contaminated product in otherwise healthy patients can result in infections necessitating antimicrobial and potentially surgical treatment. In individuals with weak immune systems and infants, the use of the product can result in death. Maison Terre has received a report of one infant death associated with use of this product on the umbilical cord stump.

The product is a yellow colored powder that comes in a clear plastic bag, net weight of 1 oz.

The recalled Goldenseal Root Powder was distributed nationwide in the USA to customers who ordered through Amazon.com and purchased between the dates of 01/25/2015 to 08/04/2020.

Maison Terre is notifying its customers by email through Amazon.com. Customers who have purchased the Goldenseal Root Powder are urged not to consume or apply it. Customers are urged to dispose of any unused portion. For those customers wanting to return the product for a refund, please contact Maison Terre for a return shipping label.

Customers with questions regarding this recall may contact Maison Terre at 501-888-9438, Mon-Fri, 10 am - 4 pm CST or at info@maisonterre.net. Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this drug product.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Maison Terre is conducting this recall with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Maison Terre Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Organic Goldenseal Root Powder Due to Microbial Contamination - FDA.gov

This article first appeared on Truthout and was produced in partnership with Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed deep craters in the U.S. food supply chain. Dairies that supply milk and food products to restaurants have had the heartbreaking task of dumping millions of gallons of milk. Many giant meat processing plants had to close down because their workers were getting infected by the virus. The shutting down of these plants resulted in millions of farm animals being culled by drowning, shooting and suffocating. The meat processing plants were ordered to reopen when the administration declared that it is essential to maintain the meat supply in late April, even as the death toll and number of infections continue to swell. Since April 22, there have been more than 32,000 COVID-19 cases and 109 deaths among food-system workers, according to the Food & Environment Reporting Network.

During the crisis, however, family-scale farms that are deeply embedded in their communities have been able to pivot nimbly to provide high-quality, locally grown and processed foods while keeping everyonefarm family, workers and customerssafe. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms are where customers become loyal supporters by signing up for weekly shares for the whole season to share the risks and benefits with the farmers, and during this time, they have retained old members and attracted new ones. By March 20, within days of the lockdown due to COVID-19, Massaro Community Farm, a nonprofit, certified-organic CSA farm in Woodbridge, Connecticut, was taking orders via email, and a week later, running a new online storenot only to sell winter greens from their own greenhouse, but also to offer products from neighboring farms that had lost markets when restaurants and schools closed.

Farming through a pandemic has been an exhausting, but exciting, endeavor, said Alyssa DesRosier, assistant farm manager at Massaro Community Farm. The hardest part has been the lack of social connection. Our community is one of the biggest parts of our CSA; its part of our mission statement: Keep farming, feed people, build community.

Steve Munno has been the farm manager since the start of Massaro Community Farm 12 years ago when he answered the call for a farmer who could organize a CSA farm combined with hunger relief and educational programs. Having trained at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and worked with the Food Project, Munno was excited to shape a farm that would combine organic farming with food justice. The injustices of our world, my own privileges and the need to actively work for change were evident early on, so these are the initial seeds, Munno said.From there, over the years I got to study and work with people and at organizations where social justice was a pertinent part of the conversation or integral to the mission.

The farm now has an executive director and a staff of eight, including an education director, a CSA with 250 shares, sales at local farmers markets and area restaurants. In addition to commercial sales, Massaro has made a commitment to donate 10 percent of all production to local hunger relief agencies. The farm has given away over 65,000 pounds of food since 2010 and has raised funds to pay for the donations and educational programs by organizing annual community-building events like an on-farm dinner and a bikeathon. Munno lives in the farmhouse with his young family, which includes his wife and two children, so farm safety also means family safety during the pandemic.

The farm takes its name from the Italian family that ran a small dairy farm with a flock of chickens from 1916 until the death of the last farming member in 2007, when the town of Woodbridge took ownership to protect the land. Some local residents wanted a baseball field there. But a larger and more persistent group wanted farming to continue, so they established a nonprofit that leased 57 acres from the town. The active board shapes the farms policies, supports educational programs and helps raise funds. Thousands of people have volunteered to participate in the farms many activities.

When Connecticut became a pandemic hotspot in early March, there were two other staff members who had been working with Munno through the winter. Together, they had to figure out how to keep the farm open and keep themselves and their customers safe. Lindsay Browning, who works in the farm office, had experience with Square, a mobile point-of-sale system for businesses, which they used to set up a store with online ordering and pickups at the farm.

Since farmer friends had lost their sales outlets, Munno added their offerings to the list. The farm has a mailing list of 3,000, so it was not hard to attract customers. Within a week, the farm was providing weekly pickups on Fridays that have continued ever since. They schedule customer arrivals at half-hour intervalssafe-spacing requirementsand the time slots limit the number of deliveries to 150. It takes Munno and his staff all day to bundle the produce that, during the second week of June, included strawberries, lettuce and leeks along with products from other vendors. Customers drive through the farm parking area, stopping at the barn where farm staff, who are gloved and masked, bring out the orders and place them on a table for no-touch retrieval or pop them into the car trunk.

Changing to meet this moment is a big effort, and expensive. Everyone who works at Massaro Farm does so because we care about providing healthy food for our community, said DesRosier, who is also a quilter and made cloth masks for the crew. When I made masks for the staff, I sewed hearts on them to remind everyone that even though they couldnt see our smiling faces, we were here for them and cared about them, she added.

By mid-June, the farm had to spend over $1,000 on disposable gloves and extra packaging materials, but so far, no one on the farm or any of their immediate friends has gotten sick. Customers are very appreciative of the service.

Munno talked about the other things that are different this year. To meet the big surge in requests for CSA shares, they have expanded membership to 300. The Massaro CSA offers a 20-week farm pickup, and also a 10-week option, with the choice of any 10 weeks out of the 20 scheduled in advance so the farm knows what to expect. A lot of the CSA members are involved with the school system, either public schools or the university, and go away for a few weeks during summer vacation, so the 10-week option is convenient. The CSA makes up the bulk of the farms sales, around 75 percent, with the rest split between farmers markets and restaurants. On weeks when produce was light, Munno explained, they would sell less at the markets. In previous seasons, CSA pickup at the farm has been market style, where subscribers select their produce from bins that the crew sets out for them. This year, the farm will be bagging or boxing the shares, which is about 250 per week.There are 300 subscribers in total, with 170 of them picking up weekly and 130 picking up alternating weeks.

With COVID-19, the farmers markets have changed their rules to require that all sales are ordered and paid for in advance, a system that does not work well for Massaro. It is a matter of logistics, Munno explains. Harvest for the CSA takes place three to five days a week, with what is extra going to sales for the farmers markets. In past years, Munno had a sense of what they would bring to market, but was able to make adjustments at the last minute to accommodate fluctuations in share numbers and production from week to week. This year, he would have to put the information online early in the week, confirm what they have, and receive and pack orders before going to market. He wants to support the other vendors, and going to market is a big social benefit for the family, but he and his staff are evaluating whether they can do it safely.

Munno expects minimal sales to restaurants this year. The basis for those sales is often relationships, but since Massaro has a higher price point than other providers, he thinks he will not get many orders.

By contrast, Munno hopes to be able to increase the amount of produce the farm donates for hunger relief. Demand is up, and he has had requests from new organizations like the mutual aid groups in New Haven. While the CSA does have a few shares that are purchased for donation, most of the shares go to people who can pay. Farm income from those sales covers operating costs, including staff salaries. The farms initial capitalization and money to buy new equipment and make major repairs depend on donations, grants from private foundations and state and federal programs. Like many nonprofits, Massaro will have to get creative this year to find substitutes for on-farm fundraisers.

To be sure of enough labor in case of illness, Munno plans to hire at least two extra staffers. Munnos policy is to avoid reliance on volunteers or apprenticeships. He calls the employees staff and pays them hourly wages. They are slowly figuring out how to work together safely. Munno typically prefers working as a group to get things done, but this year they are breaking into smaller teams and making other accommodations by staggering lunchtimes, and using masks and gloves while harvesting as an extra precaution, not that different from their usual food safety protocols.

I am grateful and privileged to be here at this moment, Munno says. I feel grateful that people are taking the safety protocols seriously. I dont want to get sickmy kids, hundreds of people rely on us for food, and our staff for work. In farming, every year is different, but I am hoping for a particularly bountiful year. And looking forward, I hope the renewed interest in local produce will not be short-lived, and that the CSA will be full by winter, and [we will] not [have to] wait until May.

Even before the pandemic, farm costs had been going up and all the new safety measures have added to the expenses. The extra price point Massaro Farm is able to charge for high quality, certified organic produce is still not enough, Munno says, to pay his staff what they are worth. I dont think any of my team is compensated enough, he said. We need to make larger changes so we can pay everyone better.

While mainstream supply chains suffered major snags this spring, organic CSA farms like Massaro have been able to nimbly reorient marketing and production to serve the urgent needs of their communities. But these adjustments come with a cost: the additional investments needed to buy protective equipment, packaging supplies and to pay the fees for online services; and the emotional and physical wear and tear on the farmers and their crews. The first rounds of federal stimulus money have followed the usual well-worn channels into the bank accounts of the biggest industrial farms. In addition to farming, Munno (along with the author of this article) serves on the Interstate Council of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), a 49-year-old grassroots organization with chapters in seven states that has been a pioneer in championing local organic food, and is attempting to divert the flow into investments that support farms like Massaro. In a spring meeting with the New York congressional delegation, NOFA Policy Coordinator Steve Gilman urged Congress to provide federal hero hazard pay directly to front-line food system workers and businesses deemed essential during the pandemic. He also called for payments to organic producers to reimburse them for expenses such as personal protective equipment and pandemic-related facility, infrastructure, technology and staffing modifications, and to add flexibility to USDA nutrition programs to allow food banks to buy from local organic farms and food hubs and SNAP recipients to purchase online from farms.

Instead of returning to the discredited normal after the pandemic, Munno and his comrades in NOFA hope the new public awareness of food chain injustices and the extraordinary service that family-scale farms have been providing will build momentum for the localized, socially just, ecological and resilient farm and food system we want for our future.

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Community-based farms rise to the occasion as big food supply chains stall - NationofChange

At the Burlington Farmers Market on August 8, Orb Weaver Creamery's cheese was all dressed up, wrapped in paper celebrating the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival. In a normal year, more than 40 of the state's cheesemakers would have been gearing up to spend the next day at Shelburne Farms sharing samples, pairing cheeses with local food and wine, and basking in the glory of the high-summer festival.

As with most large summer gatherings, though, the festival didn't happen this year: In July, the Vermont Cheese Council announced the cancellation of the 12th annual event. In the announcement, the council shared how its focus has changed over the past few months. "Instead of planning for the festival ... we are mostly trying to help cheesemakers keep their doors open...," the statement said.

Indeed, the council has been trying to help its members make up for the 25 to 75 percent losses many have reported since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"For cheesemakers, it's not easy to pivot," Marty Mundy, the council's executive director, told Seven Days in a recent phone call.

In April, the council launched an online directory to help connect the state's cheesemakers to consumers in Vermont and beyond. Many small producers were feeling the immediate impact of closures in the restaurant and food service industries both within the state and in urban markets throughout the Northeast. And consumers were skipping the specialty cheese counter in favor of stocking up on staples from the grocery store dairy case.

Cheese sales comprise $650 million of Vermont's $1.3 billion annual dairy industry revenue, according to data collected by the state Agency of Agriculture and the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council. Small-scale producers including farmstead cheesemakers, who make cheese with milk from their own herds represent 37 of the council's 54 members and $100 million to $250 million of those overall sales, said Diane Bothfeld, director of administrative services and dairy policy at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.

As sales slowed and cheese piled up in aging caves for some of the smaller, artisan producers, they were forced to reevaluate their production and sales strategies. Some farmstead producers reduced their herd size or dried off their animals early so they weren't producing milk through the rest of the season.

Jasper Hill Farm provided a high-profile example when it announced at the end of March that it had dispersed its herd of Ayrshire cows. In June, VTDigger.org reported that Grafton Village Cheese, which has been producing cheese in southern Vermont since 1892, was exploring consolidating its two manufacturing spaces, in part due to losses during the pandemic.

"The cheese story continues to be very confusing," Mundy said, explaining that despite the losses many faced, some Vermont cheesemakers actually reported increases in sales. "There are some folks who are doing really well, and there are some who are struggling. But one of the strengths of the Vermont farm and food system is, it's based on people doing what they need to do to make it work."

As restaurants have been able to reopen and relief funding has started to help some producers pay their bills, the tone among producers has been optimistic. "Some of it is the strength and resilience and grit of cheesemakers," Mundy said. "They feel like they can pull through."

At Orb Weaver, owners Kate Turcotte and Zack Munzer realized in mid-March that they had to sell two cows, reducing their small herd to 10. The couple took over the business in December 2018 from founders Marjorie Susman and Marian Pollack and had spent the 2019 season building their cheese inventory, with minimal sales.

"It was pretty obvious things were going to really change for us," Turcotte said. "We were definitely still getting off the ground, and we were really kind of planning on the spring of 2020 being the start of our business."

Cutting production allowed the couple to lower their grain costs; both also continued to work at off-farm jobs, which provided an essential and steady source of income. Being small and relatively new and reacting quickly gave them options that larger, more established producers might not have had.

"That was our superpower," Turcotte said. "Our limitation is mostly just the time we have in the day."

When the state's restaurants shut down, she and Munzer launched mail order and began to offer Friday afternoon curbside pickup at the creamery. Direct-to-consumer sales, rather than selling through a distributor or to a restaurant or cheese shop, gives them "the full dollar," Turcotte noted. "For any producer, that direct dollar is very powerful."

Orb Weaver cheeses each named after a cow from the founders' original herd also have an increased presence at farmstands this summer, as well as at the Burlington Farmers Market.

"Between mail order and the farmstands we work with maybe 10 different farmstands throughout Vermont it's been amazing how many pounds of cheese we've been able to sell," Turcotte said. "It shows the resilience of our food system."

With those smaller, direct-to-consumer sales, though, they've had to adjust their processes and pricing structure. Rather than drop off an entire wheel of cheese at a restaurant or cheese shop, they now cut up that wheel and vacuum-seal pieces of cheese portioned for individual consumers.

"Cut-and-wrap is kind of dead," Turcotte said. "Even some co-ops don't want to cut our cheese anymore."

Pre-cutting creates a whole new series of challenges for small producers as they take on that added labor. Furthermore, standardizing the sizes of those cheese pieces is no easy feat, whether during the cutting process or when producing smaller cheeses from the start.

"We make a cheese called Frolic, and we always try to make it in one-pound sizes, but it's really hard to do!" Turcotte said with a laugh. "We're working with people to try to get them to understand that we're not machines."

Still, the relationships they've created with the farmstands and with the community in general through direct sales represent an adaptation the couple hopes to continue in the long term.

"People's farmstands are just so much busier," Turcotte said, "so they are able to take on wholesale accounts. If we're going to split the [profit] of a piece of cheese, I'd love it to go to the veggie farmer down the road. That's a really rewarding part of all this."

At Spring Brook Farm in Reading, cheese program director Jeremy Stephenson also saw the need for individually wrapped cheese wedges. Stephenson, current president of the American Cheese Society, said it's a necessary adaptation across the industry.

Spring Brook's overall sales have dropped to about 70 percent of last year's, he said. Though monthly sales in January and February were good, they've been quite low since March. Pre-pandemic, most of Spring Brook's sales had gone to the food service industry through distributors; last year, airline companies bought pallets of cheese to serve on flights to Europe. Now, the farm is investing in the cost-intensive equipment needed to package cheeses for mail order.

"The reason the impacts on our small cheese industry are so tough to watch is the knockout effect for the dairy farms, and then the landscape and the agricultural community," Stephenson said. "We've seen the challenges for dairy quite clearly for some time, and small cheesemakers have definitely been part of helping to support small dairy."

The challenges cheesemakers are facing now investing in new formats and markets despite lower sales are inevitable, Stephenson thinks. He sees this as a great time to reevaluate what the industry is doing, and why.

"Companies who are well positioned to get their high-quality products into bigger markets with prepackaging are doing really well," he said. "Nobody's products have changed, nobody's quality has changed, but some companies are doing really well this year and others are not, and it usually falls along those lines."

Neighborly Farms of Vermont is one of the companies doing well. The third-generation family farm in Randolph Center sells organic, prepackaged farmstead cheeses, including traditional sharp, raw-milk and flavored cheddars.

During a break from making garlic-and-herb cheddar last week, owner Linda Dimmick wrote in an email to Seven Days that Neighborly Farms has been less affected by the pandemic than other farmstead cheesemakers in Vermont because it makes a prepackaged cheese that's sold almost exclusively at grocery stores and natural food markets.

"I feel guilty," Dimmick said later that day on the phone, as the farm's calves mooed in the background. "March was up, like, 45 percent in sales, and April was 35 percent."

Stephenson said Neighborly Farms is a perfect example of what's working now and where the industry as a whole could be headed.

"She shouldn't feel guilty about anything," he said. "They work really hard. They're just a family farm, but they've always packaged and sold in the dairy case. [Neighborly is] that special cheese you could pick out of the dairy case that was organic and made in Vermont."

Neighborly Farms cheeses are distributed throughout New England, in New York and down the East Coast to Washington, D.C. When the shutdown began and food procurement was largely limited to grocery shopping, Dimmick said orders from grocery stores and home delivery services in larger cities doubled and quadrupled.

"It was scary, in a way," she said. "The orders would get bigger and bigger."

Sales have leveled off now, and the farm is working to build back to its normal benchmark inventory, Dimmick said. One of her big concerns, though, continues to be the physical threat of contracting the virus.

"We are a very small work crew of two full-time and two part-time people," she wrote. "I was really on pins and needles each week, because I felt, if one of us got sick, we would definitely have to shut the whole place down. I don't want to brag, because tomorrow could be totally different."

Despite the challenges the pandemic has created for the cheese industry, Tyler and Melanie Webb were not deterred from starting a new operation at Stony Pond Farm in Fairfield.

The organic dairy has been a member of the farmer-owned Organic Valley cooperative since 2007, but the couple has also been working to diversify and strengthen the farm's overall viability. In addition to producing fluid milk, they've operated a burger stand at the Burlington Farmers Market, sold value-added meats and offered farm stays. In 2019, they began getting into cheese.

"We've been making really superior-quality milk for a lot of years milk that would be ideal for a cheesemaker," Tyler told Seven Days last week. "We finally got the courage to recognize that maybe we could just be the cheesemaker."

The Webbs started bringing their milk to Does' Leap in Bakersfield early last summer; the goat dairy supported them, teaching them to make cheese while the Webbs used their facilities to develop recipes and put together a business plan.

Melanie, who has taken on the role of cheesemaker, made batches of Swallow Tail Tomme an aged, raw-milk cheese at Does' Leap until January, when the Stony Pond herd was dried off for the year.

The farm's herd is seasonal, and all of its cows calve at about the same time beginning in mid-March. This schedule aligns the cows' peak milk production typically 90 to 120 days after calving with Vermont's peak grass production to produce the highest quality milk, Tyler explained. This year, Stony Pond cows had 65 calves in 35 days.

"The downside is that we're making the majority of our milk in May, June and July exactly when our co-op doesn't need it," he said.

Like most commercial dairy enterprises, Organic Valley receives a surplus of milk in May, June and July when the cows start eating grass again. During that period, the co-op institutes a $3 deduction per hundredweight of milk.

"To help our co-op, and to help us reclaim some of that income, we thought maybe we could take a good chunk of that milk, put it in the cheese cave and age it for four to six months," Tyler said.

Stony Pond built that cave, and the rest of its on-farm creamery, with the help of a $65,000 grant from the state's Working Lands Enterprise Initiative. It was a slice of the $1.4 million the program distributed throughout Vermont in its 2020 fiscal year cycle. (Working Lands also directed more than $250,000 to business development in response to COVID-19.) Tyler added that the couple also took out a loan "to invest to make this all happen" and is feeling the pressure of that investment.

The Webbs had hoped to expand the variety of cheeses they made at the farm beginning in May, but they had ordered a cheese vat from a Dutch producer who contracted the virus. The man has recovered, Tyler said, but the vat that was supposed to arrive on May 1 didn't come until last week.

In the meantime, Melanie has been able to make batches of Swallow Tail using a retrofitted 60-gallon soup kettle. Without the more sophisticated pasteurizing vat, though, all Stony Pond has in its newly constructed cave is 1,000 pounds of the raw-milk cheese.

As a new producer and one working with high-cost organic milk Tyler worries that when they start releasing cheese in the coming weeks, they'll be competing with established producers who are liquidating their inventory at rock-bottom prices to make room in their crowded caves.

"We're entering the market right when there's a surplus of cheese," he said. "We're going to have to hope that we're either making something special or that the organic aspect of it is desired enough that we can compete on the cheese shelf at local places."

Instead of relying on sales to restaurants, the Webbs' distribution plan will target more CSAs and farm stores businesses that have been booming during the pandemic as well as some of the smaller innovative distribution networks that have popped up. Stony Pond will be one of the first producers involved with BFM Direct, the soon-to-launch digital extension of the Burlington Farmers Market.

"What this has made us realize is that, from a supply-chain standpoint and from a quality, nutritious, organic food standpoint the people of Vermont need us to make this product even more than they did back in January," Tyler said.

If the booming business at the state's farmstands this summer is any indication, Vermonters are shortening their supply chains and looking locally. The cheesemakers and the broader dairy industry they rely on hope to milk that as long as they can.

In late 2019 and early 2020, commodity milk prices were finally inching upward after a five-year slump.

"Consumer demand was strong, export markets were steady, and the national number of cows and milk volume was not excessive," explained Diane Bothfeld, director of administrative services and dairy policy at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.

Then came COVID-19.

During the early weeks of the pandemic, images of dairy farmers dumping milk were confusingly juxtaposed with bare shelves in supermarket coolers. Global ports had closed. High-volume markets such as schools, coffee shops and restaurants shut down, while grocery sales leapt. Supply chains buckled under abrupt swings in demand.

Most of Vermont's fluid milk dairies sell through co-ops and have no control over where their milk goes or what they get paid, other than premiums earned for quality. Crafting value-added products such as cheese from their milk has enabled some farmers to get off the commodity hamster wheel. But the pandemic has disrupted that market, too, as detailed in the accompanying article.

COVID-19 is just the latest challenge for the state's dairy sector, which has dominated Vermont's image, rural communities and agricultural economy for more than a century.

"To this day, dairy is the predominant agricultural activity upon our landscape and the single largest economic contributor to the agricultural GDP," said Abbey Willard, agricultural development director at the state agriculture agency.

About 650 dairy producers, along with 110 value-added dairy processors, represent $2.2 billion in total economic activity annually, she said "almost equivalent to tourism in a typical year."

The 900,000-acre physical presence of those farms impacts tourism, too. Dairy-related hay, corn and pasture account for 80 percent of Vermont's agricultural land.

Some aspects of dairy farming may not be positive such as the potential impact on water quality. But overall, Willard said, tourism "benefit[s] from the dairy industry and those green hills, that open landscape, and [that] agricultural, bucolic kind of background that we sometimes take for granted."

Despite a steady decline in individual farms down 35 so far this year milk production and acreage remain relatively constant, consolidated into fewer, larger operations.

The loss of small to midsize dairy farms concerns Sam Smith, a farm business specialist with Burlington's Intervale Center. Revenue from one 1,000-cow dairy and 10 100-cow dairies might be equivalent, he said, but the broader economic and social impacts can be very different.

"With 10 families, there are more kids in the schools, more people to volunteer in the fire department and buy gas at the general store," he explained. "It is really disheartening if you look at the impact [of consolidation] on rural communities."

Smith sees "a hole in the dairy case" for locally produced everyday products that command a reasonable price premium, such as Neighborly Farms of Vermont cheeses (see accompanying article). He also thinks small and midsize dairies could collaborate on value-added processing and marketing.

Willard observed that while the pandemic has been challenging, it has also heightened consumer appreciation of "reliable, consistent, healthy, close-to-home food sources."

To help the dairy sector cover losses and move ahead, the state allocated $25 million of its $1.25 billion in federal CARES Act funds. And in early 2021, it will begin awarding funds as the Northeast regional coordinator of a $6.5 million federal dairy innovation grant.

"The volatility is really hard," Willard acknowledged, "but I think there's a lot of opportunity to really look at your business right now and think about the market and think about the customer base that you want to serve."

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The Whey Forward: How the Pandemic Has Reshaped Vermonts Farmstead Cheese Industry - Seven Days