Building Farm and Farm Family Resilience in our Communities

This list, based on a review of recent relevant literature, summarizes the effects of COVID-19 on the farming population:

Financial

Falling prices and revenue

Market disruptions

Decline in restaurant food sales

Loss of off-farm income

• Rising rates of farm loan delinquency-bankruptcies

Reduction in demand for biofuels

• Lack of labor, processors, and farming supplies

Trouble keeping labor

Cash flow problems

• Added costs of alternative sales strategies

Difficulty accessing inputs

Health

Increased mental distress

• COVID-19 related illness and deaths in farmers, farm families, and farmworkers

• Food insecurity — lack of availability and accessibility

Other

• Transportation and other supply chain problems

Uncertainty of food demands

Policy changes

Opportunity costs of projects not done

• Problem providing childcare or care for other family members

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