How to support farmers during holidays
SNOW HILL, Md. – The Eastern Shore’s sprawling fields of crops and farmhouses produce many Thanksgiving staples.
“You have a lot of sweet potatoes that are grown here,” Virgil Shockley, farmer at Oak Shelter farms in Worcester County said. “Chicken, turkey, ham, whatever you want. A lot of greens, if you like greens, are produced here.”
Big festive meals are right around the corner, but the people responsible for the food at holiday gatherings have a lot of challenges to contend with.
According to Director of Special Projects at the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Kristin Hanna, times can be uncertain for farmers. Sudden weather changes make it difficult to know when to plant crops and can ruin a whole year’s worth of crops. Labor shortages also make it hard for farmers to work their land and land for most Maryland farmers is rented.
“Farmers are at a disadvantage if they don’t currently own the land,” she said. “It’s just really hard for them to get the cash to then purchase it.”
She said that the department is works on keeping agricultural land in agricultural hands.
However, Hanna said that, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, people are increasingly more interested in learning where they get their food from. That interest coupled with an awareness in food seasonality supports local farmers in big ways.
Director Hanna said people can also support local farmers by spending extra time in stores to find local products or asking stores to carry them.
However, the best way to support farmers is to buy directly from them, Shockley said. He said that if someone sees a local roadside stand, to make the effort to stop by.
“Go ahead and buy from those guys, okay?” he said. “They need your help and they work very hard getting it.”
Hanna said that, especially in times of economic uncertainty, people can feel better about what they eat if they know where it is from.
“I really think that now in a time where people feel it so much is out of their control, one thing that they can control is what food that they decide to purchase,” she said.
Hanna said that even if someone can not shop at local farmers markets for Thanksgiving, every little bit helps year round.
