COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Covid-19 outbreak has brought businesses in this county to their knees. Many businesses and most schools have come to a screeching halt.

Fortunately, agriculture has been given a green light. But not all aspects of the agriculture community are business as usual.

Consumers are used to seeing an assortment of farmers markets open up by late spring, but the spread of the coronavirus is prohibiting consumers from connecting with local farmers and growers. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has devised an online searchable database to all sustainable and organic farmers to list their products for sale.

OEFFA came up with the Good Earth Guide, an online search guide whereby a consumer can find a specific product, search for a specific farm or business by name or proprietor’s surname, find a farm or business in a specific county, or search farms with your specific need in mind.

“We know farmers, farmers’ markets, and farm-related businesses are scrambling to market their products online, and the Good Earth Guide can help people find them,” said OEFFA Program Director Renee Hunt.

According to Hunt, users can find many food and farm related products including fruits, vegetables, eggs, poultry, beef, pork, milk, cheese, flour, maple syrup, mushrooms, honey, breads, sauces, teas and much more by using OEFFA’s helpful online resource.

“Listing in the guide is usually a benefit of OEFFA membership, but the organization recognizes the urgency of the situation,” Hunt said. “The 2020 growing season is underway, and farmers need to know they have a market to sell to. We want to be part of the solution.”

Formed in 1979, OEFFA cultivates a future in which sustainable and organic farmers thrive, local food reaches the communities and agricultural practices protect and enhance the environment. For more information about OEFFA’s Good Earth Guide contact Renee Hunt at 614-947-1642 or OEFFA Communications Director Lauren Ketcham at 614-947-1643.

In Tennessee, online ordering of fruits and vegetables is catching on as well.

Karla Kean, Extension Agent III in Clarksville, Tennessee, attended an online webinar given by BARN2DOOR last week and learned that “online food sales increased ten times in two weeks, and 90 percent of consumers want online sales.”

“Bottom line, if producers are not visible online, they’re losing business and money every day,” Kean says. “Times are hard, but this can also be seen as an opportunity for local growers.”

Kean suggests the following list of online marketplaces for producers and consumers in her state as well as much of the Midwest:

The Nashville Food Project (www.thenashvillefoodproject.org)

Nashville Grown (www.nashvillegrown.org)

Barn2Door (www.barn2door.com)

Food 4 All (www.food4all.com)

HARVIE (www.harvie.farm)

The Food Initiative (www.thefoodinitiative.org)

Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org/csa/)