It's planting season, and farmers have to navigate the coronavirus. “It’s the time of the year we’re ready to plant and get in the field,” one said. “This is the most optimistic time of year for farmers.”
Corn and soybean farmers across the most productive parts of the Midwest are preparing to plant their crops as the COVID-19 pandemic locks down communities and the economy.
That includes working to minimize face-to-face interactions with suppliers and service providers, said Brian Jones, who operates a 2,000-acre farm near Greenfield, Iowa. Unlike specialty crops and produce that are more labor intensive and often require substantial outside labor, row-crop agriculture is more machine-intensive. That can make it somewhat easier for farmers and employees to maintain distance, he said. But not at all times.
The organization also urged members to have a plan for anyone who may fall sick, including quarantine and health care measures, while ensuring that work continues. While outbreaks in New York City and other urban areas have dominated the headlines, rural areas are expected to play catch-up to some degree. Also, farmers tend to skew older, which makes them more at risk. The 2017 Census of Agriculture found the average U.S. farmer was 57.5 years old.
Farmers are asked to call ahead before coming to pick up supplies and to use online or telephone billing. In facilities, Growmark stepped up efforts to disinfect work areas and has told workers to stay home if sick or, if a family member tests positive. In an emailed statement, Deere & Co. US:DE , the world’s largest farm-equipment maker, said it’s working with dealers and customers to ensure that needed parts are available, and that its warehouses “are working around the clock and in close alignment with suppliers to ensure parts orders are shipped out daily with as little disruption as possible.”
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