To The Reader’s Forum:

Farmers know adversity well. Dealing with the unknown is part of the very nature of what we do every day. Whether it is the weather, fluctuating commodity prices or the issues that come with running a small business, we take what we are dealt and make the best of it.

Therefore, New Yorkers should be confident that farmers will help get us through these uncertain times as we confront the COVID-19 pandemic. People rushed to the grocery stores to stock up, but they shouldn’t worry that we will run out of food. Americans are blessed with a productive agricultural community that makes food safety a priority. We have an abundant food supply in this country, and farmers and their employees are currently on the job to keep it that way. New York Farm Bureau urged the state to make agriculture an essential service, keeping us open for business and the supply chain moving.

You can also rest assured that farms are taking special precautions to keep the workplaces clean and our employees as safe as possible to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Food security is national security. Today’s world is reminding us of that in a big way. Keeping farms in business must remain a priority. As we marked National Agriculture Day on March 24, let’s all give thanks to the food on our tables and the men and women who help put it there all along the food chain.

Richard Kimball,

Chautauqua County Farm Bureau president

Dewittville