Because of COVID-19, restaurants and schools have been closed. And that is hurting farmers in Wisonsin and across the country. But there are ways to help.
"One of the advantages that farmers have over other industries is that a lot of the work that they do is already isolated," said Heather Schessler, dairy agent for University of Wisconsin Extension in Marathon County.
However, the coronavirus is posing challenges, as 60 percent of potatoes are processed for the foodservice industry.
"Unfortunately with potatoes, it's shelf-stable to a point," said Schessler. "But the good thing about potatoes is you can turn them into a frozen product as well, and that will help extend that shelf life."
As of right now, restaurants and schools are unable to use up last year's crop, which will eventually create storage problems.
"That is a big issue that we're going to have across the board is we only have so much storage capacity so while we may be able to make these shelf-stable products how much freezer space is there available," said Schessler.
Some farmers are redirecting last year's crop to local food pantries while others are looking to change their 2020 plans.
The home use of crops has been declining for years but since Governor Evers 'Stay-at-Home' order grocery stores have seen an increase in potato chip sales.
But it's not just potato farmers. Cranberry farmers are worried about a potential oversupply in the fall. Schessler says, "getting people to increase their demand for cranberries is difficult."
Unfortunately, growers can't lower their production levels as cranberries do not need to be replanted every year. Schessler says cranberry growers typically produce more crop than is actually used in cranberry products, such as cranberry sauce or jellies.
But farmers say consumers can help.
"Anything we can do to help move the product is going to be beneficial and help get it out of freezer space out of cold storage so that there is room for that 2020 harvest crop when it comes in," said Schessler.
In response to COVID-19, the US Department of Agriculture recently announced it would award $19 billion in direct payments to farmers.