Farms, coronavirus domino effect

PALMETTO, Fla. - Mounds of harvested zucchini and yellow squash ripened and rotted in the Florida sun. Juicy unpicked tomatoes were left to wither in the fields. Thousands of acres of Florida fruits and vegetables are being plowed under because farmers can’t sell the items to restaurants, theme parks or schools that have closed because of the coronavirus. “This is a catastrophe,” said south Florida tomato grower Tony DiMare. “We haven’t even started to calculate it. It’s going to be in the millions of dollars.” Agriculture officials say leafy greens in California, and dairy farmers in Vermont and Wisconsin have had to dump a surplus of milk because of the virus and shutdowns. Florida leads the nation in harvesting tomatoes, green beans, cabbage and peppers. Many farmers cater only to restaurants, schools and theme parks. It’s created a domino effect for the farm industry, Florida’s second-largest economic driver, which yields $155B in revenue and supports about 2M jobs. (Source: The AP 04/09/20) https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20200408/coronavirus-florida-vegetables-unexpected-virus-victim?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NW%20Florida%20Daily%20News%20daily%202020-04-09&utm_content=INKA_FWN&utm_term=040920