The Louisiana Department of Agriculture has created a new online resource to help farmers sell to the public
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A state agriculture department is making it easier for consumers and farmers to do business together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture has created its LA Farm Food Map and Directory, an online tool listing multiple farms across different regions of the state.
These sellers “are now incorporating innovative and safe alternatives to bring farm-fresh food directly to households, including home delivery, curbside pickup and drive-thru farmers markets,” the resource says.
Some of the listed producers have noticed an uptick in calls and requests for food and services.
“As quickly as the bees can make the honey, I’ve been selling it,” James Adams, who runs Adams Apiary and Farm in Provencal, told Farms.com.
Adams runs the beekeeping side of the business while his sister-in-law takes care of the vegetable and egg portions of the farm.
Some of his work also includes removing bees from properties. That part of the business has been busier than usual too.
“Maybe it’s because more people are at home, but my phone has been ringing off the hook with people asking me to come remove bees for them,” he said.
Other farmers have used this time to make changes to their business models.
Lesia Hamaker, who runs P&L Farms, a fruit, vegetable and meat operation in Spearsville, intended to provide home delivery and pre-order options for customers but hadn’t gotten around to it.
The coronavirus situation has forced her hand a little bit, she said.
“We’re hoping to sell mostly from the farm, but we’re planning on doing pre-orders so we can have (the products) already packed up and people can just come pick it up themselves,” she told Farms.com. “We were doing the farmers market in El Dorado, (Ark.) twice a week and (officials have) shut that down for this year. It has changed the way we’re doing things and forced us to put other plans into action.”