Without the Strawberry Festival, events planned in Ponchatoula Saturday aimed at supporting sales for local farms Strawberry events planned in Ponchatoula on Saturday to support farmers (Source: Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival) By Jesse Brooks | April 9, 2021 at 8:13 PM CDT - Updated April 9 at 8:18 PM
PONCHATOULA, La. (WVUE) - Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Louisiana strawberry industry has been hit hard, but the Ponchatoula community is stepping up this weekend to plan events to help local farms sell their products.
Every year, farmers in Southeast Louisiana rely on the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival to sell a majority of their seasonal berry crop. However, the community is going without the event, which was previously scheduled for this weekend, for the second year in a row.
Maryland oyster industry may be forever altered by COVID-19 pandemic
Audrey Decker
The pandemic-impacted oyster season has been difficult for the industry in Maryland, causing farmers and watermen to rethink how they sell their product and changing how programs conduct oyster restoration.
After restaurants reduced their capacity and a stay-at-home order was issued last spring, restaurant sales essentially went to zero within a matter of a week, said Scott Budden, founder of Orchard Point Oyster Co. headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland.
Pre-pandemic, Orchard Point Oyster Co. would primarily sell to restaurants, either directly to the chef or through regional distributors and wholesalers. Since April, they have transitioned to directly selling to the public, through local pickups and cold shipping, Budden said.
Pandemic Could Change Maryland Oyster Industry for Good nbcwashington.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nbcwashington.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The pandemic-affected oyster season has been difficult for the Maryland industry, causing farmers and watermen to rethink the business. (David Allen/Patch)
The pandemic-affected oyster season has been difficult for the industry in Maryland, causing farmers and watermen to rethink how they sell their product and changing how programs conduct oyster restoration.
After restaurants reduced their capacity and a stay-at-home order was issued last spring, restaurant sales essentially went to zero within a matter of a week, said Scott Budden, founder of Orchard Point Oyster Co. headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland.
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Pre-pandemic, Orchard Point Oyster Co. would primarily sell to restaurants, either directly to the chef or through regional distributors and wholesalers. Since April, they have transitioned to directly selling to the public, through local pick-ups and cold shipping, Budden said.