Mississippians can now buy meat, produce directly from farms amid COVID-19. Here’s how.
Mississippi has a new website where people can buy a side of beef, a basket of blueberries or a jar of honey direct from the rancher, farmer or beekeeper.
Department of Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson announced Thursday the Mississippi Farm Marketplace website and two other initiatives to make sure people in Mississippi can get fresh food during the coronavirus pandemic.
He signed an order during the morning press conference that immediately allows farmers to sell a portion of an animal, such as a side of beef, directly to consumers.
They can buy a share in the animal, he said, then pick up their share as it’s processed at the local meat processing facility.
This is a temporary order, he said, but within the next 120 days he hopes to make it permanent.
The other initiative, which he said could be most important of all, helps keep processing plants open throughout the state. It’s difficult to tell if the spread of COVID-19 is happening in processing plants or in the communities, he said, but PPE will be distributed to workers starting this week.
Farm-fresh produce
This new website launches just the the peak season nears for Mississippi fruits and vegetables.
Any farmer growing any food product in the state can upload photos and information.
Consumers can shop by commodity and by county, see the photos and the price, make the purchase with the farmer and arrange for pickup.
Gipson said it will a great way to connect Mississippi consumers with Mississippi grown foods.
During the coronavirus, Gipson said, “One of the best thing we can do is eat healthy.”
Why the shortages?
Gipson gave two reasons residents are finding some empty shelves at the grocery stores — panic buying by consumers and the closure of some processing plants in the United States.
“No meat processing plants have closed in the state of Mississippi,”he said.
“There is plenty of food out there,” Gipson said, in fact there is an oversupply of milk in the state, and he encouraged grocery stores not to impose shopper limits on milk.
Mississippi is the No. 5 producer of poultry in the country and a large part of the state’s beef supply is Mississippi-produced, he said.
“Our farmers are hurting right now,” he said. They were hurting before the coronavirus and were hoping for a really great 2020, he said. Then the coronavirus erased 50% of the domestic market when schools and restaurants and restaurants closed, he said.
The website will help make up some of the shortfall.
“It’s a new well to sell. It’s a new way to market their products,” Gipson said, and the profit goes directly to farmers rather than to a supplier.
Farmers markets
Gipson said many Mississippi farmers’ markets are open, unlike some other states.
Gulfport Harbor Market reopens May 13 at the Barksdale Pavilion in Jones Park off U.S. 90. Hours will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It features only local growers, food producers and artists and only food, plants and art produced within a 100 mile radius of the market and sold at the market by the grower, producer or artist are accepted.
This Gulfport market the Ocean Springs Fresh Market will be participating in the “Double Up Bucks” program from May to October. It increases the amount of fruits and vegetables that low-income consumers in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by doubling their dollars — up to $20 per day.
For details or a vendor application, call Diane at 228-257-2496.
