Amid COVID-19 Spread, Nebraska's Farmers Markets Question How Events Will Go On

Farmers markets across Nebraska could take a hit as social distancing measures persist in communities. Some farmers market organizations have put out advice on maintaining social distance at events, while others are considering upending their business models entirely.

Susan Griffiths has volunteered for her local farmers market in Bridgeport for five years: she says over the past weeks, this year’s market season seems more and more up in the air.
“If you really need to make it short and sweet, you can just say, ‘In Bridgeport, they don't know what they're doing yet!"

The market’s team can’t meet in person right now to plan for their late-June opening: that would be a group of over 10, which violates state recommendations for social distancing.

But Griffiths said the market's vendors still wants to sell products if they can .

“We get a lot of customers who are over 65," she said. "They probably shouldn't be out anyway. So I think I think a delivery service might help them get through what we're doing right now.”

Similar questions are emerging down the road at the Sydney market, where Griffiths also sells products. If markets could try reimagining their business model, she mused it could be possible to pull off an unorthodox--but still functional--relationship with customers this season.

That would be a significant undertaking, even for a market that often features fewer than 10 vendors.
Some are also considering planting less to limit losses.

But without specific guidance from government agencies, Griffiths says it's too early to tell if this summer will be a season without markets.

For latest updates, visit netnebraska.org/coronavirus.