Idaho farms prepared for another wave

Even with warnings of the potential for a sharp rise in cases of COVID-19 through the winter and coming spring, Idaho farm officials say the agriculture industry in the state is much better prepared than it was when the virus first struck.

Idaho Farm Bureau President and CEO Zak Miller said when the virus first began to have an effect in the U.S. and states began closing businesses, including restaurants and schools, it caused a dramatic shift in the agricultural industry that many were unprepared for. Miller said the number of cases had less of an impact than the sheer speed of their onset and accompanying health and safety mandates.

Now, however, after having dealt with the virus and its effects for most of a year, Miller said farmers have come to better understand how to continue operating safely while minimizing the hit to their bottom line. Additionally, he said, farmers have spent years honing their ability to ensure their products are safe and have adequate storage, and that preparedness has begun to pay off.

“They’ve continually invested in (best practices), and we’ve seen even increased emphasis on that too, this summer,” he said. “So the ability to have the crop on-farm and be in a very healthy and stable state — I think we’re as good now as we’ve probably ever been.”

Miller said much of the trouble farmers encountered early in the pandemic was logistical. When the pandemic hit all at once last spring, the U.S. supply chain was relatively unprepared for the dramatic shifts necessary to keep business humming along without disruption.

For example, he said, typically more than half of Idaho’s potato and dairy products are sold to the food service industry. When restaurants were shut down in the spring, producers had to store and package their products for new users while minimizing waste and expense.

Since then, farmers, shippers and end users have learned how to adjust for these conditions and are better prepared to adapt if the need arises.

“As we look into another wave, if that were to happen, I think we’re far more better established both from the farm level all the way through our manufacturing partners, to our logistic partners, to do a better job,” Miller said. “Probably the biggest concern we have is just do we have the manpower to be able to make sure that the fruits of our labors of the fruited plains of Idaho get onto the plates of those that need it the most.”

While shortages still exist, he said the agricultural industry is also better prepared when it comes to personal protective equipment.

And though the pandemic and its impact on the world economy is without precedent, Miller said farmers are pragmatic, adaptable people and the need to balance efficiency with flexibility is nothing new. Similarly, he said, the need for safe, health-focused handling and storage of food products is a familiar problem to tackle as well.

“Farmers by nature are scientists. In the agriculture community we’re used to dealing with viruses and pests and understanding the procedures to protect your crops and our animals,” Miller said. “It hasn’t been hard for us to understand what a virus can do to the human population. We get this, it’s part of our wheelhouse, this is what we professionally go to university to be trained for.”

Scott Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.