President's Message

Called to Action

These past few months have challenged all of us in ways we never saw coming. Watching the world as we know it turn upside down as we grapple with a global pandemic has been emotional, to say the least.

With all of this change, it’s easy to get caught up in longing for the way things were when we kicked off the new decade. But if you pause for a moment and look around, you’ll see people across our industry and communities pulling together to help one another. These stories of support and innovation during a time of uncertainty illustrate just how strong we are together, and remind us all that no matter what, we will get through this and learn from it. The four members we feature in this issue have done just that.

Timi and Keith Bauscher own and operate The Nesting Box in Kempton, Pennsylvania. The couple’s following grew quickly once shutdowns started taking place as a result of COVID-19, and they partnered with other local producers to help get their products out to the community as demand for locally-sourced items grew.

Local Homestead Products, an on-farm market and greenhouse operation in New Windsor, Maryland, experienced a similar surge in customers. Owners Trevor and Victoria Hoff added a contactless curbside pick-up option for their shoppers, and are finding creative ways to promote other Carroll County businesses.

Food delivery services have become highly popular during the pandemic. Bob and Jaclynne Miller, owners of Nice Farms Creamery in Federalsburg, Maryland not only began delivering their milk and ice cream to homes in their area, they also donated nearly 2,000 gallons of milk to local food banks that quickly ran out of supply.

Lastly, we feature Orr’s Farm Market of Martinsburg, West Virginia. They added a drive-up window for customers to use to pickup orders they placed online, and started taking reservations for their pick-your-own operation once stay-at-home orders were lifted in an effort to allow people the opportunity to get the on-farm experience while following social distancing protocol.

This issue also includes an overview of how to create an on-farm emergency plan (pages 12-13), our 2020 scholarship winners (pages 14-15), and a plug for our new project — the Farm Credit AgVocates podcast (page 16).

We know you’re feeling stressed right now, and unsure of how the remainder of 2020 will play out. Don’t forget that you have access to your free Member Assistance Program resources 24/7. Please visit mafc.com/map to learn more. Have a safe and happy fall,

Tom Truitt