Whatcom farmers continue to produce key products during the coronavirus pandemic
The past few weeks have been unprecedented, but when world events start to weigh on Sarah Pabody and her family and they need reassurance, they can look at what’s growing on their farm.
Sarah and her husband, Steve, operate Triple Wren Farms near Ferndale. They grow a variety of cut flowers, vegetables and blueberries and have a fall pumpkin patch. While the coronavirus pandemic has put many industries on hold, Mother Nature has a schedule that Whatcom farmers need to follow. The next two or three weeks will be among the busiest for Triple Wren, as it ships out about 2,000 dahlia tubers for gardeners to plant.
They usually have five or six workers helping with the shipping; this year, it will be strictly a family operation. By mid-April they begin planting dahlias, which will require some workers. The farm, founded in 2012, is designated an essential business, so they’ve been studying social-distancing practices to help limit the spread of the virus.
Farming is a key industry that remains important during this pandemic. The market value of agriculture products sold in Whatcom County was $372.9 million in 2017, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture census report.
Sarah Pabody said in an email they feel fortunate that so far supply chains appear to be working well. They were already stocked with most shipping supplies, but they’ve had to order some extra shipping boxes and she’s been surprised at how quickly they arrived. She also noted the local farm store they go to for animal feed also has been well-stocked.
On Triple Wren Farm’s Facebook page, Pabody has noted that with everything that’s happening during the pandemic, she’s thankful for being on the farm. Before the shipping operations ramped up, Pabody was showing through photos that things continue on, with plants starting to grow for harvest later this year.
“These little sweet peas are doing exactly what they were made to do. They’re still marching forward, and I can, too,” Pabody wrote in one post with a photo showing the progress at the farm.
Farmers are adjusting
The hiring of workers amid the pandemic is something many Whatcom County farmers will be dealing with, particularly those that grow berries. Currently, it is the early part of the growing year, with pruning complete and crop protection work underway, said Henry Bierlink, executive director of the Washington Red Raspberry Commission.
The labor ramp-up begins about mid-May with the strawberry harvest, followed by raspberries and blueberries. That usually involves the hiring of thousands during the summer. Bierlink said they are hoping the hiring system works as it has in the past, but farmers are well aware that it may not given the disruption the coronavirus has created.
Farmers also are talking about what they will do in terms of physical distancing.
“Fortunately, outside work is much easier to honor this concern,” Bierlink said in an email.
Dairy farms continue to operate and owners are doing their best to protect their workers, said Gerald Baron, communications director at Whatcom Family Farmers.
“This very strange and difficult situation is helping people understand the importance of local, state and national food supply and farmers,” Baron said in an email.
Dairy prices were high enough last fall that many farmers were able to pay their bills and have a bit of a cushion. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a hundredweight (or 100 pounds) of Class III milk sold for $20.45 in November. By February, just as the pandemic was hitting the U.S., the price had dropped to $17.
Prices had dropped since the pandemic took hold, but have not crashed. Lee Mielke, a syndicated dairy columnist who lives in Whatcom County, noted in his recent market report that while fluid-milk demand has taken a hit because of school and restaurant closures, there has been an uptick in grocery sales.
Some supply chain issues are starting to pop up in the dairy industry. Reuters reported on Friday, April 3, that challenges getting the milk to market is forcing some dairy farms to start dumping milk. The shift away from restaurants and schools to grocery stores has created some logistical challenges, according to the article, including trucking companies not having enough drivers.
The Skagit Family Farmers Facebook page is also highlighting the problem, showing pictures and videos of farmers dumping milk because of canceled orders. So far the milk dumping is happening in a few situations nationally, but hasn’t been observed locally or in Washington state yet, said Dillon Honcoop, communication director at Save Family Farming.
Dairy is the biggest farm industry in Whatcom County. According to the 2017 agriculture census report, Whatcom dairy farmers tallied $180.5 million in milk sales.
Dairy in Whatcom County has struggled in recent years because farmers continue to see low milk prices. Last year, the USDA predicted milk prices would rise in 2020, but that was before awareness of the pandemic.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Click the drop-down icon in the upper right of this card for more information on symptoms and how to stop its spread.
What you can do
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
▪ Keep six feet between yourself and others when in public.
▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
▪ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with hands that haven’t been washed.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid others who are sick.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, call your doctor first.
