“Rich, winter vegetables that would have now been in season, they’re all gone, and we won’t see them again until next year,” Chovanec said. “We're telling people to continue coming to our markets but not to expect too much produce for the next six to eight weeks because plants will need time to grow.”
Impacts and losses
The winter storm hit farmers after many had already adjusted practices due to the ongoing pandemic.
Co-owner Finegan Ferreboeuf said Steelbow Farm—which has a staff of six on a five-acre property near Manor—was established to provide specialty crops and vegetables to local restaurants. When orders slowed during the pandemic, she said the farm pivoted to providing restaurant-quality vegetables to home cooks and built a new following of about 100 household deliveries each week.