COVID Challenges for Agriculture Pt 3

COVID Challenges for Agriculture Pt 3

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I’m Bob Larson. Growers faced with keeping their employees safe and healthy during the coronavirus are finding many challenges.

The biggest problems, according to the Washington Policy Center’s Pam Lewison is that crops don’t stop growing just because there’s a pandemic, and the PPE supplies don’t just grow on trees, but then there’s public perception …

LEWISON … “And, I think the last one is, you know, a lot of people talked about how farmers keep complaining about, oh well it’s just about money, or they’re prioritizing one thing over another or they’re prioritizing their product over people and I think that’s just not true.”

And without those people, Lewison says nothing gets done …

LEWISON … “There are people at the center of every single ag operation and those people are of the utmost importance. But, people still ultimately have to get paid.”

And bottom line, Lewison says people have to eat …

LEWISON … “And so, it’s a two-fold discussion. It has to be about your business surviving which is an income discussion, and part of that survival is making sure that the people who are employed or who count on that business are as healthy and safe as they can be.”

Lewison says what we have are ag communities making sure everyone stays healthy and making sure the workers understand the virus and what their rights are when it comes to working in such unusual conditions.

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