Wrenshall News: Farmers work through pandemic challenges

Our farm got panicked emails Sunday morning from the stores we supply, wondering if we could do a special delivery because they were all out of carrots and potatoes.

Enticed by a lunch in our 85-degree greenhouse, we were able to gather a crew of parents and neighbors together to pack about a thousand pounds of produce that afternoon to restock the shelves. At times like this when normal routines and work are disrupted, it’s nice to feel like you have a purpose. It’s important for us all to be able to maintain and develop a sense of connection.

As fewer and fewer people are engaged in food production in this country, a divide has opened up between urban and rural communities. Those of us who are engaged in the local foods movement see bridging this divide as a really important part of our work. We want urban people traveling through the country to see it not just as a landscape that is pretty (Wrenshall) or boring (Iowa), but as the source of delicious food, vital nutrition and clean air and water.

We farmers can only raise healthy food and protect our natural resources for future generations to the extent we are allowed by the economic and social system that we are a part of. Our members and customers provide a stable source of income from us so that we can invest time and resources into improving the way we raise food. Most farms are not so fortunate, instead being at the mercy of a system that relentlessly squeezes profit out of farming in the pursuit of the least expensive food.

We find ourselves in the strange situation of becoming more physically divided, but also aware of just how interconnected and dependent we are on one another. We can choose to allow this time to breed the mistrust and unfamiliarity that heightens divisions between us, or to reconnect with each other by recognizing what we all have to offer our communities in times of need. Most people won’t be bagging carrots on a Sunday afternoon, but we can continue to seek out ways to help each other directly and indirectly.

I have heard that one reason the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic did not have more of a lasting impact on our culture is that so many were ashamed of the selfish way they acted during that time. With the speed that bad news can circle the globe on social media, I hope we choose to focus on the positive stories, rather than allowing a few stories of selfishness to give us the excuse to act that way ourselves.

So go out of your way to patronize that business that is run by someone you may not agree with politically. Seek out a performance or art show that might not culturally feel like it’s “your thing.” I have a feeling there’s going to be a ton of creative art being done around this moment we are in; we can use our time online to find those expressions, rather than fixating on bad news or mindless social media scrolling.

Most importantly, give people — especially strangers — the space to make mistakes and do dumb things. Because we all act selfishly from time to time and if we allow others’ worst behavior to define them, that negativity will soon describe ourselves as well.

Regular Wrenshall News writer Annie Dugan turned to husband Janaki Fisher-Merritt to write this week’s column. If you want to share your own Wrenshall-specific story ideas — let Annie know. at 218-310-4703 or email [email protected].