Photo by JORDAN CHRISTIAN / Unsplash

Covid-19 has devastated the economy, led to spiraling unemployment and increased food insecurity. How will this impact local food systems, and what changes are needed? Farmers markets have restructured to limit the spread of the virus but also witnessed demand spike. The availability and arrival of H2A foreign farm workers has become an urgent farm matter — will managers seek to source replacement workers? Meanwhile, the National Farm to Institution Metrics collaborative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture aims to establish widely adopted farm impact metrics that serve as a foundation for reporting local food purchasing. The Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE) along with the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association (NAREA) host this free webinar to discuss the impacts of Covid-19 on local food systems. Support also comes from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and the USDA’s Economic Research Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Read More

Photo by ETIENNE GIRARDET / Unsplash

Despite a steep decline in meat processing and a 92% jump in the price of wholesale boxed beef this spring, the U.S. livestock sector demonstrated resilience and relative supply chain stability throughout the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. This webinar, June 5, 2020 was co-hosted by the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and sponsored in part by the AAEA, and USDA's ERS and NASS. C-FARE board member Sean Cash, a Tufts University professor, moderated a panel that included Glynn Tonsor, a professor at Kansas State University; Josh Maples, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University; and Kenny Burdine, an associate extension professor at the University of Kentucky.

Read More

Photo by MAKENNA ENTRIKIN / Unsplash

The Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE) along with the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association (NAREA) hosted a free webinar April 24 to discuss the value of e-commerce for farmers, food gatekeepers and retailers at a moment when customers are shifting their buying habits overnight to minimize exposure to COVID-19. C-FARE board member, NAREA president and Rutgers University economist Gal Hochman moderated the 45-minute discussion and was joined by three panelists: Jeffrey O’Hara, Chyi Lyi “Kathleen” Liang, and Gary Matteson.

Read More