Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG): COVID-19 Guide

Farmers’ Legal Action Group is a nonprofit law center dedicated to providing legal services and support to family farmers and their communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges for nearly everyone. At Farmers’ Legal Action Group, our top priority is supporting family farmers and their communities so that farmers can stay on the land. Although our offices are closed to the public during this crisis, FLAG’s attorneys and staff are working full time to help farm families face the stresses of dealing with COVID-19 and its legal and financial consequences.

FLAG’s most recent Farmers’ Guide to COVID-19 Relief can be found at the link below.

Updated Farmers’ Guide to COVID-19 Relief April 27, 2020

Also see a quick summary of COVID-19 relief for farmers below, published in collaboration with our partners at Farm Aid, the Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Rural Advancement Foundation-International, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Navigating COVID-19 Relief for Farmers

WSFMA Gallery of Safe Farmers Market Photos

Washington State farmers markets are operating safely and in full compliance with public health
directives and other restrictions to protect the health of shoppers, vendors, and market staff.

This photo gallery of the Bellingham Farmers Market provides visual examples of the following:

• SIGNAGE
• SOCIAL DISTANCING
• LINE MANAGEMENT
• SANITATION
• MARKET BOUNDARIES
• ENTRANCE/EXITS
• PPE
• LOW CONTACT PAYMENTS

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Essential Services: State Declaration vs. CISA Guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce

Example of state declaration:  New York

“This guidance is issued by the New York State Department of Economic Development d/b/a Empire State Development (ESD) and applies to each business location individually and is intended to assist businesses in determining whether they are an essential business. With respect to business or entities that operate or provide both essential and non-essential services, supplies or support, only those lines and/or business operations that are necessary to support the essential services, supplies, or support are exempt from the workforce reduction restrictions.”

Executive Order 202.6

Example of state deference to CISA guidance:  Georgia

“Critical infrastructure means a business, establishments, corporations, non-profit corporations, and organizations labeled by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as ‘essential critical infrastructure workforce’ in guidance dated March 19, 2020 and revised on March 28, 2020… The operation of Critical Infrastructure shall not be impeded by county, municipal, or local ordinance.”

Executive Order

Guidance and FAQs for Statewide Shelter in Place Executive Order

ILFMA COVID-19 Toolkit

ILFMA COVID-19 Toolkit was created to provide farmers markets with resource guidelines for operating an IN and OUT, transaction-based farmers market.  The guideline provides best practice recommendations for social distancing and enhanced sanitation.

PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM LOANS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury,
intends to provide timely additional guidance to address borrower and lender questions
concerning the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established by section
1102 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act or the Act). This
document will be updated on a regular basis.

Question 3 pertains to nonprofit organizations

Question 34 pertains to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers

Farmers Market-Tested Sales Platforms for Shopper Pre-Orders Webinar

WSFMA Market Guidance

Farmers Market Safe-Operating Plans

Our primary concern is the health and safety of our farmers and producers, market shoppers, market staff, and the host community. Farmers markets are taking serious safety precautions, including: revising market operations;reducing the number of vendors and changing the market layout; expecting shoppers and vendors to abide by public health directives and new market rules; and making a cultural shift from being highly social to proactively limiting time at the market and maintaining physical distances.

Ohio COVID-19 Farmers Market Recommendations

Letter to Farmers Markets with operation recommendations amid COVID-19

Webinar: Farmers Markets Physical Redesign for Covid-19 Mitigation

Farmers market operators are among those leading for how local food is meeting this historic moment including “drive-thru” models, delayed entry, pre-bagged goods, new layouts and more. For this webinar, market operators shared how they actually implemented a new COVID-19 practice through the physical redesign of market spaces. It did not cover online platforms that some market leaders are using to build new, off-site purchasing systems; that topic will be covered in future webinars.

Panelists:

Watch the full recording of the webinar here.

Market operators should also fill out the survey with questions and comments about market redesign during the COVID-19 mitigation.

COVID-19 Do Not Enter if Symptomatic Market Sign

COVID-19 Do Not Enter if Symptomatic Market Sign