The Agricultural Impact of COVID-19: How A Family Farm Powered Through The Pandemic

On a cold Tuesday in February, vendors from all over central Pennsylvania made the journey to the Boalsburg Farmers’ Market. Most took shelter indoors, where customers browsed various artisan goods and harvested crops for sale. A select few braved the wind and snow, setting up tents in the frigid air to show off the fruits of their labor. Amy Will and Ash, employees of K. Schlegel Fruit Farm, took this literally. When I arrived at the Boalsburg Firehall, I first noticed a large silver trailer displaying all kinds of varieties of apples, apple butter, apple sauce, apple cider, et cetera. They were one of the only vendors outside, and had several customers passing by and taking interest in their products, including myself. The friendliness, and passion for local agriculture displayed by Amy and Ash was infectious, and really embodied what it means to engage with, and benefit their community.

K. Schlegel Fruit Farm is a fifth-generation family farm that began in 1932.¹ Located in Dalmatia, PA, The Schlegel’s occupy 35 acres for fruit production growing over 30 varieties of apple, 18 varieties of white and yellow peaches, donut peaches, strawberries, cherries, apricots, plums, grapes, pears, sweet corn, among others. In 2004, the fruit farm adopted advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods because they wanted to ensure their farming practices were both safe and as ecologically sustainable as possible.¹ IPM is a broad-based approach that integrates practices for economic control of pests. The switch from conventional growing to their current IPM practices was heavily assisted by extensive research and help from Penn State scientists. The Schlegel family has pioneered how orchards traditionally grow their fruit crops, and continues to evolve toward sustainable, ecological, and innovative growing methods.

Amy Will, a current employee, said that she got her start with the K. Schlegel Fruit Farm in August of 2021. “I was a customer ever since they started coming to this market [Boalsburg], but they needed help. They have got so much stuff and a huge setup, and they were not able to get set up in time, so it was just two guys.” During the time that Amy had begun working, COVID-19 was still a threat to the public, and to markets that heavily rely on community engagement like many farms in Central PA. Despite this, Amy had observed that local markets were able to stay in business and make good profit. “I was just like everybody, worried at the very beginning” she said, “But you learn more stuff and start to understand risks and how it spreads. I wasn’t really worried at that point, but when cases started going up, you would see people outdoors wearing masks more and that sort of thing. Our business, I don’t think, changed at all in that period, and (…) if anything, I think the markets were busier. As a customer back when COVID happened, people felt comfortable being able to shop outdoors.”

While at markets individual vendors are doing their best to provide customers with unique products and services, there is also a greater sense of community and involvement between farmers, despite an ongoing pandemic. “For the most part, it’s really good, because you know we are farmers, and we try to help each other whether that be with fruits or vegetables. (…) There are some orchards that we butt heads with, you know, competition. But other than that, we get along with everybody.” The friendliness and helpfulness that Amy described became evident to me as I took the time to visit the other vendors at the Boalsburg Farmers’ Market. There was an overwhelming feeling of support between those who were selling, as customers patrolled the differing products that each stall offered. It was evident to me that, regardless of competition and a need to succeed in the unpredictable market of fruit and field crop production, local farmers put community first.

Community support can only go so far however, especially during the height of COVID-19. One of the reasons that many farmers in Center County were able to do well throughout the pandemic, is because of the introduction of Centre Markets. Centre Markets originally started as collaborative marketing effort between several local farmer’s markets. Boalsburg and North Atherton Farmers Markets (NAFM) spearheaded the effort to apply and manage a marketing grant from the Happy Valley Visitors Bureau.² Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, Sabine Carey, an NAFM board member, founded Centre Markets in the Spring of 2020. This allowed for the creation of an online market which connected local farmers to their communities virtually, when in-person events were not possible. Centre Markets supports six different farmers markets, all exhibiting different vendors with unique products, and allows for them to continue selling and gaining outreach across Central Pennsylvania. K. Schlegel Fruit Farms is one such orchard that was able to continue selling, despite the threat that a pandemic posed to a community-based business.

While Centre Markets streamlines connections to farmers and customers, K. Schlegel Farms also makes use of other distribution methods to reach as many people as possible. Ash, a fellow employee of Amy, mentioned Market Wagon. Market Wagon is an app that creates an online farmers market with delivery to give consumers more access to local food. Their technology and planning innovations allow farmers and artisans to list and sell their products online with the convenience of e-commerce.³ Ash mentioned that their drop-off location for customers is in Hershey, PA. “You can order the different vegetables and fruits you want, and you get it picked up at your closest location to the point. We do that every Thursday” he said. The multitude of options that are made available to farmers and farmers’ markets further emphasizes the community support that is felt between businesses, regardless of competition and a desire to make profit. Farmers recognize that, without each other, there would be a significantly negative impact on local markets, and an increase in the unsustainability of larger agricultural corporations.

Amy and Ash really put into perspective just how important it is to engage in local markets, and to support community businesses centered around food production. While Amy initially started as a customer, she is now directly involved as an employee for K. Schlegel Fruit Farms, which practices sustainable and innovative growing methods. While supporting these businesses as a customer is encouraged and beneficial, Amy emphasizes that becoming further invested is not as daunting as it might appear to be. “I love the whole idea of a farmers’ market and going and seeing the products – you know, there will be the people selling fresh flowers and all the beautiful food; it’s really a great environment” she says. “Just don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk to the farmers, because they have so much information and you can learn so much.”

If you want to support K. Schlegel Fruit Farms, the Boalsburg Farmers’ Market is open every Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., or you can visit their website here. You can also subscribe via email to K. Schlegel Fruit Farms to receive updates on product availability, helpful tips, and announcements. For more information on where their products are sold, check out the online store, or call 570-758-2162.

 

Sources 

^[2] Carey, S. (2020). Centre markets. Centre Markets – Your favorite online Farmer’s Market in the State College area! Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.centremarkets.com/our-story 

^[3] Market Wagon. (2016). Market wagon – online farmers’ market. Market Wagon | Online Farmers Markets & Local Food Delivery. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://marketwagon.com/pages/market-wagon-about-us 

^[1] Schlegel. (2018). K. Schlegel Fruit Farm. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.kschlegelfruitfarm.com/