The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on regional agriculture and rural issues

Rural communities and agriculture businesses have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus.

COVID-19 has not only caused a major health crisis in the United States and around the world, but the economy has gone into a downward spiral, countless small businesses have closed their doors, and millions of hard-working people are now jobless. Rural communities and agriculture are not exempt from this devastation.

To help us get a clearer understanding of how COVID-19 is affecting the business of agriculture, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee at CSG East will host a series of webinars to discuss the severe impact the virus has had on agricultural constituents and communities.

Topics to be discussed will include farm labor concerns, food distribution, market pressures, farm stand regulations, farm exports, crashing prices for farmers, supply chains, much needed state and federal financial support, and more.

These webinars will also be an opportunity for you to share what is important to your state or province, and to learn from experts and colleagues what you can do.

The Ag and Rural Affairs meetings will take place over Zoom every Friday for three weeks, and will be moderated by committee chairs Representative Carolyn Partridge (Vermont) and Senator Judy Schwank (Pennsylvania):

Join fellow legislators from the CSG East region in a roundtable discussion to exchange ideas on how our states and provinces are working limit the impact of COVID-19 on the agriculture sector and the rural economy. Your input is very important – we need to hear what is happening with your constituents!

(limited to committee members only)