The COVID-19 pandemic has sent a ripple effect through all facets of life, including agriculture. New parents Ryan and Sydney Armstrong of Lake Placid couldn’t have predicted that just seven days after their son was born, Ryan would lose his job growing juice oranges on several thousand acres. But, the Armstrong family – just like countless others – has found a way to adapt.
“A fellow YF&R helped us out immediately with work, and I am back in the groves working in production again,” says Ryan Armstrong, who is president of the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) 2018-20 Leadership Group. “Fortunately, citrus is one of the few farming sectors that has seen a positive impact since the coronavirus.”
Family Farming a Way of Life
Ryan and Sydney both grew up with a deep appreciation for agriculture and have been witness to many changes in the industry over the years. Sydney was involved in FFA and later joined Florida Collegiate Farm Bureau. Armstrong’s family farm was settled in the 1820s in Brooksville, where it has weathered its share of production changes, from raising hogs to producing watermelons. It’s where he grew up, and where the family now runs cattle on about 400 acres.
“I spent the majority of my childhood in the truck on our farm with my great-grandfather B.A. Crum,” says Armstrong. “Growing up, we grew our own food, canned it and used our own cattle for our meat. It was amazing to grow up on a farm that had a high level of self-sustainability.” And while it’s safe to say the ag world has significantly changed in the last 200 years – his farming ancestors never participated in a board meeting via Zoom, for example – there still are challenges.
Need for Local Food Rises During Pandemic
For many consumers, the recent challenges of COVID-19 have made them more mindful of the important role local producers play in their communities. Nationwide, farmers have helped mitigate the disruptive impact the pandemic has had on the food supply, and Florida farmers are no exception.
Recognizing an increased need from farmers and consumers alike, the Armstrongs leveraged their network and worked with other YF&Rs to compile an online listing of Florida growers selling directly to consumers – which is now hosted on the Florida Farm Bureau website.
“Farm listings and food banks were both happening before the past few months,” Armstrong says, “but these events put a gigantic spotlight on them both. As a result of the extra attention, the number of farms being added to listings and pounds of food given to food banks has grown exponentially.”
A Lasting, Positive Impact
It’s important to note these efforts are not pandemic-dependent. “This doesn’t need to end once these events subside,” Armstrong says. “Local farmers always have delicious products for consumers, and food banks will always need donations to feed members of your community. We must never give up the fight to make a positive impact on our communities – life can change in an instant, and we could easily find ourselves on the needing end of food bank supplies.”
See More: Listing of Florida Farmers Selling Directly to Consumers
It’s not just connecting people to the tangible products of agriculture that the Armstrongs find important. Soon after the schools closed, Sydney was inspired by a county Farm Bureau story time and jumped in to help coordinate a statewide virtual reading program, working to bring stories about agriculture to kids who were stuck at home.
For all the challenges and opportunities farming holds, Armstrong says he has never doubted this is the life for him. “Once it gets in your blood, it’s there, and doing anything else simply reminds you how much you love agriculture.”
