SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — With winter fast approaching, farmers have been reflecting on their market seasons and the sales performance that they have seen. Even though most restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic have either been loosened or eliminated entirely, many farmers in Central New York still find themselves facing lackluster sales, as many people are still apprehensive about going out to public places.
This rings true for farmers selling their produce at the Downtown Farmers Market in Syracuse.
Randy Daratt is one farmer who sells his produce at the Downtown Farmers Market. “Some markets have come back, and some haven’t,” Daratt said. “People are still scared to come out.”
When asked about the status of his sales, Otis Vezzose, another farmer, was very direct, and said, “Sales are really, really flat.”
Vezzose is also concerned about new habits that have developed within people who buy produce and how it affects farmers who sell their produce at markets. “People don’t can like they used to, or freeze, either,” Vezzose said. “They used to stock up for winter, us older people did…the younger kids, they buy today and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.”
Despite all these setbacks and adversities, these farmers continue to sell their produce, and they will do their very best to bring sales up as time goes on and as more people become comfortable in a world with COVID.
