Wisconsin’s Local Food Economy Takes on the Coronavirus
by Ben Becker, Newsletter Writer
It is a time of unprecedented events, as the statistics of death become the routine of each daily news segment. It is an era ruled by fear and isolation, as every interaction is colored with reserve. It is a period of profound loss, as we each endure loss of loved ones and disruptions of a lifestyle filled with free movement and friendly relationships. As our way of living takes shape and normalizes into a form almost unfathomable to us mere months ago, so too are the systems which provide for our material needs. The luxuries of an industrial and far-reaching food system are myriad, but one of the greatest is the ease in which we were able to buy food. As the COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves across the globe, it has also caused a paradigm shift in where our food comes from and in the latex-gloved hands through which it passes on its way to our tables.
The level to which we take for granted our access to food is probably best expressed in a child’s straightforward if naive observation that “vegetables come from the store.” While so often grocery carts and checkout lanes hide the complexities and consequences of our diet from those who have never had to reach into the earth to pull up their potatoes nor to pluck the feathers from the chicken they will roast for their family, the shock of suddenly empty store shelves has hit like a punch to the gut. In these times of uncertainty, the often mundane activity of buying vinegar or toilet paper lays heavier on the mind.
A new significance
Grocery shopping has taken on a new significance and with it the duties of those who stock the shelves and ring you up. In a time of pandemic when each of us carries the potential for danger on our breath, a person of prudence would certainly pause before stepping food across the threshold of enclosed brick and mortar, let alone to boldly don the clerk’s apron and offer service to shoppers. Still, while this anxiety is ever-present, there is no denying that grocers remain a necessity for our survival, especially as farmers’ markets and restaurants see their viability as a purveyor of nourishment limited. In mindful recognition of this necessity, Willy Street Co-op has been rapid to respond with measures intended to not only safeguard staff members and Owners as they spend time within an enclosed space, but to give recognition to the challenges these times present. No doubt, Owners will have witnessed a changing shopping experience, with mandatory face coverings for both customers and staff, the observance of social distancing measures including space markers and limited occupancy allowances, plexiglass barriers at customer service lanes, store hours dedicated to the immune-compromised, and a continued effort to keep stores and surfaces cleaned and disinfected.
Ecommerce
The Co-op has also made incredible strides in eCommerce for those looking to limit their exposure by bypassing the traditional retail setting. Our eCommerce platform and offerings have been infused with a shot in the arm to grow from a small pilot program to an entire department servicing 300 orders a week. Simultaneously, Co-op operations have pivoted to introduce curbside pick-up so that shoppers may get their orders without leaving the safety of their vehicles.
While investing in the well-being and peace of mind for our Owners, Co-op management has also sought to recognize the additional stresses and insecurities these uncertain times place on employees by seeking to maintain staffing levels as much as possible in the face of economic uncertainty while offering hazard pay to compensate for the potential risk that daily interactions with the public carry.
Artisan grain collaborative
The Co-op and other grocers are not the only ones looking to find creative and innovative ways to respond to the crisis at hand. In order to keep food on our plates, local farmers are working to fill the needs that the industrial food economy has been unable to meet. With an ability to create shorter more sustainable supply chains amidst the large suppliers’ failures to keep products on shelves are the farmers, bakers, brewers, and millers who make up the Artisan Grain Collaborative. This network of engaged persons from various fields including producers, malters, writers, or advocates are championing a regenerative grains food system across the Upper Midwest.
Together these collaborators seek to increase the amount of acreage in the region dedicated to the raising of smaller grains including such cereal varieties as barley, rye, millet, and spelt. Such a shift marks a return to form for our region. Once defined as the grain belt, our region has given way to an over-emphasis on corn and soybean production, reducing the production of small grains in Wisconsin to a level of saturation of only five percent.
For the Artisan Grain Collaborative, the movement towards smaller grains is about more than just a return to form, but rather an endeavor to create a more sustainable system across the board through an emphasis on increasing market opportunity for their producers and greater farm viability, as well as addressing environmental concerns such as water-holding capacity and carbon sequestration.
As the global economy has seen breakdowns during the pandemic, small grains are suddenly seeing a long-awaited moment to shine, especially in terms of their place in the local food system as uncertainty about our food infrastructure has brought a greater focus on the purchase of staple crops. Artisan Grain Collaborative’s Executive Director, Alyssa Hartman, notes that “Grains have been the last item to the plate in the farm-to-table movement.” However, as the coronavirus has compelled a shift in buying habits, local grains are starting to get more attention.
As supply interruptions during March and April created bread shortages, consumers started to seek alternative, more sustainable sources to meet their needs, and local or regional farmers have been able to help fill that spot. While the conventional supply chain was unable to fill orders for flour, these farmers were able to quickly pivot, providing two or five-pound bags direct to market while rapidly making use of new ways to interface with their customers including online shopping and local pickups.
Neighbor loaves
The challenge to quickly adapt to new ways of doing business has been a challenge across the food system, and while the market for farm-to-table goods has enlarged, other opportunities for sales have shrunk, especially wholesale accounts with restaurants. To help keep bakers going and their staff employed while bringing local grain to market, the Artisan Grain Collaborative started Neighbor Loaves, connecting the community, bakers, farmers, and those in need by allowing you to purchase bread made from at least 50% local grain for donation to community feeding organizations. At the time of this writing, approximately 13,000 loaves have been sold, representing the infusion of $90,000 into the food economy.
This project has included the participation of both Madison Sourdough and Origin Breads, who each use 100% organically grown flour from local farms. Shoppers can continue to support the resurrection of our grain infrastructure in Wisconsin by looking for these products and seeking out local grain, and there has never been a better time in part due to the opening of Meadowlark Community Mill, who will soon be taking over for Lonesome Stone Milling, a processor local grain enthusiasts are surely familiar with.
Community supported agriculture
While grains are finally seeing their due in the local food system, eaters are also looking to farm-to-
table to fill other parts of their plate. A keystone of our local food economy has long been community supported agriculture (or CSA), a means of buying locally grown vegetables and other products directly from the farm that grew them. Again, the interruptions to the food supply chain have inspired a shift in buying habits created both losses and opportunities for local growers, and the resulting challenge of adapting to new ways of doing business. As other sources for local vegetables have become less available while consumers seek to eat more of them, CSA sales have gone through the roof. According to Carrie Sedlak, Executive Director of the Fair Share CSA Coalition, 94% (and possibly all) of their member farms have seen their CSA shares sold out this year, a phenomenon that has never occurred before. This is some good news for local producers, who are now more reliant on the CSA model as other markets for their products such as wholesale accounts, restaurants and farmer’s markets have become unavailable. While the COVID pandemic is the cause of these losses, it has also inspired the increased interest in CSA shares, as many see this model as much safer because they can go and pick up their shares or have them delivered.
Buyers are displaying a greater interest in healthy options such as wholesome vegetables and choosing to cook more at home while eating out less, all of which are factors driving their patronage of the more sustainable practices used by CSA farms. CSA producers are also more reliable and buyers have peace of mind in knowing they can count on this weekly regular delivery that involves just a small local supply chain that is less likely to break down like the longer big supply chains that can fail with just one faulty link.
Headaches and innovation
The need to fulfill increased demand for locally grown food, and to do so safely during a pandemic has created some headaches for farmers and producers. In order to address the new landscape of sales and COVID concerns, many farmers have adapted by pivoting away from business as usual and embracing innovation. In order to allow more home delivery, farmers have had to develop new systems on the fly. Many farmers are also using online software to allow customers to buy products. Farmers have realized the need for more online payment processes. All of these changes require substantial time and financial investment, a difficulty for farmers who are already working long hours for low margins. While some have been stretched thin, hopefully in future years, CSA farms may be able to capitalize on their lessons learned and infrastructure built during this difficult year. These developments may come in handy during the next season if customers continue to show an increased interest in this model, but those seeking to safeguard their access to local produce shouldn’t wait too long, as early bird sign-ups for next year’s CSAs will take place between October and November.
The co-op’s subscription box
The logistics involved in planting and harvesting for a CSA require substantial planning, and so when unforeseen events such as a pandemic take place, the impact on farmers who already have seeds in their soil is tremendous. Despite their hard work and innovative spirit, this reality creates a limit on the amount of local produce that can be diverted into CSA shares and directed to consumers.
As producers rush to respond to the market, the creative thinking of Willy Street Co-op’s Purchasing Director, Megan Minnick, has led to an innovation allowing more local farmers and eaters to connect during this transition. Megan’s introduction of the Co-op’s subscription box has introduced a model of shopping not unlike the CSA: For $100 a month, customers have been able to pick up a box each week filled with $30 worth of either organic fruit or local organic vegetables all sourced from between ten and fifteen farms. Despite this similarity to the CSA model, it was not intended to divert sales to local farmers but actually to augment them, as community-supported shares had already been sold out but farms still needed ways to sell excess produce. The makeup of these boxes has been largely driven by supply, targeting the fruits or vegetables that farmers are otherwise unable to unload to restaurants and other usual buyers.
While acting as a stop-gap to help farmers in this time of need, the subscription boxes have also been of great value to shoppers, especially those seeking food without exposing themselves to the potential health concerns that now beset the traditional shopping trip. By acting as an intermediary to fill both the needs of farmers and customers through this program, Megan has been able to witness the difference this small impact has made on their lives and the gratitude that both producers and eaters have expressed just to be able to have their needs met.
Food banks
While the Co-op and other local supply chain champions are fighting for food security in a disease-ravaged economy, food banks are also pivoting to protect those most sensitive to a lack of food. In only the past six months, Danielle Lawson, the Food Resource Manager for Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin, has seen the emergency food system undergo a tumultuous change. Second Harvest relies on partnerships with retail grocery stores for close to 40% of all their shelf-stable and perishable goods, so when runs on toilet paper and other goods early this year overwhelmed suppliers and manufactures, the food bank was left without this dependable resource, resulting in close to a 50% drop in donations. As supply stabilized, Second Harvest adjusted and was able to resume 95% of their regular retail pick-ups following this shock, but with the economic impacts of COVID putting many out of work or at reduced hours, the need for food banks to maintain their supplies has only become more critical.
For the most economically vulnerable members of our society, the ability to save earnings as a bulwark against harder times is not feasible, let alone to insure against an unexpected event such as the coronavirus outbreak. So when restaurants closed their doors and businesses laid off staff this spring, Second Harvest saw a large increase in clients, many of whom had never needed to apply
for this kind of aid before. As Federal benefits and the social safety
net widened throughout June and July, the food bank saw a steep reduction in need, but as the last check went out on July 25, an increase in demand happened throughout August.
Milk dumping
As the need for emergency food increased, ensuring a reliable supply of food continued to be a challenge as supply chains faltered. With our society’s overabundance of production, feeding the hungry is never a question of yield, but of supply. A heartbreaking example for many in this time of crisis has been the dumping of milk by dairy farmers for whom the usual markets have dried up. While school and restaurant closures closed off the channels dairy farmers depend on, food banks like Second Harvest have been able to divert some of the surpluses, taking what they can in pint or half-pint cartons. The unrealized tragedy is not that an excess of raw milk cannot get into the hands of the malnourished, but that the infrastructure necessary to process, pasteurize, package, and distribute just isn’t in place to keep up.
Still, Second Harvest is working with connectors and producers as much as possible to keep Wisconsin products on their shelves. With government support through programs such as the CARES Act, Danielle has been able to source more of their food locally than ever before. “We are now able to have better access to local products than we usually do in normal times as a result of this funding.” As funds earmarked for local food becomes available, the ability to purchase local products such as Reynards String Cheese becomes a new possibility for Second Harvest, who usually must make purchasing decisions that will stretch donation dollars as far as they can.
Networks of Resilience
Second Harvest, along with the Artisan Grains Collaborative and Fairshare, are just of a few of the organizations that are finding ways to make the local food economy here in Wisconsin more robust during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recognized the need to respond to COVID-related food system issues and decided to use their capacity to engage statewide stakeholders in the conversation. In facilitating this engagement, the center is working to identify and communicate about what resources members of our food system require, and what emergency funds are available, while also working to create an alignment of activity amongst stakeholders. To that end, the center has teamed up with people from across Wisconsin at all levels of our local food economy to convene a network dedicated to aligning a systematic response to COVID-19.
By creating connections and forums for conversation, this group has engaged in addressing strategies to provide immediate financial assistance to farmers and business owners, to maintain or create supply chains and markets for Wisconsin small and medium-sized producers immediately, assess the challenges growers, suppliers, and institutions are facing and work to recognize solutions, resources, and possible stop-gap measures.
As our regional and local food stakeholders continue to connect and organize, it is clear we can look forward to a stronger, more resilient system going forward. However, to make this a long-term reality going forward, the harsh realities of responding to the pandemic need to be recognized. Though their sales are up, small local farmers may not be seeing profits as they continue working longer hours while seeing more expenses such as online platforms, increased packaging, and equipment necessary to keep their workers and customers safe. To keep these models of production viable in the years to come, support from consumers is essential. As the pandemic has revealed the unsustainable nature of our global food supply chain, the future of our economy requires a commitment to purchasing local foods in the post-COVID era.