By Rick McNary, co-founder of Shop Kansas Farms and vice president of strategic partnership at The Outreach Program

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the news was full of stories of farmers plowing under their fields and dumping their milk because of labor shortages and a broken supply chain.

One evening my wife mentioned that the meat counter was empty at the grocery store that day, yet we had just dined on beef we purchased from a local farm. I began the Facebook group Shop Kansas Farms in April of 2020 to help farmers find a market for their products. I created Shop Kansas Farms to connect consumers with farmers selling meat, produce, dairy and eggs.

In three hours, the group grew to 400 members; in 24 hours, it grew to 5,000; in 7 days, it grew to 50,000; it currently has 148,000+ and continues to rise.

Lessons Learned

Kansas Farmers Calmed Public Fears – The pandemic caused fear in consumers as the food system supply chain broke. A new type of food insecurity arose as people with money could not find food to purchase. Suddenly, through the Shop Kansas Farms group, the public discovered the food they needed was just down the road at the farms they passed by each day.

Digital Hub for Local Food Systems – Shop Kansas Farms became an online, 24/7, digital hub to connect consumers and farmers in the absence of the regular farmer’s market.

Real-Life Education – As farmers posted items for sale, consumers began to ask questions. Those conversations – especially regarding buying beef in quarters, halves, and wholes – gave opportunities for farmers and consumers to communicate and learn from each other in real life rather than in focus groups. Meagan Cramer, Director of Communication for the Kansas Farm Bureau and a volunteer administrator of the Facebook group, celebrated as this new type of education accomplished many of their educational efforts.

Farms Prospered Significantly – Research revealed that many farms saw an increase of more than 500 percent. One young farmer who began selling quarters, halves, and whole beef to consumers the previous year had 20 customers in 2019. However, in 2020, she had 550 customers. Direct to consumer sales is key to rural prosperity.

Farmers Given a New Platform of Communication – Farmers searching for ways to tell their story had a new communication platform. Those who did it well were rewarded with significant numbers of reactions, comments, follows, and shares of their social media post.

Creating a Civil Community – While social media can be a place of hostility, the seven volunteer administrators of the group worked diligently to create a civil society that monitored behavior and stayed laser-focused on the mission: “To connect consumers to the wonderful farm and ranch families of Kansas to purchase the food they raise.”

Creating Better Connections – Consumers kept asking for a searchable map and directory, so we created a separate website that currently lists, for free, more than 800 farmers in Kansas.

The Future: Helping Farmers Sell Better – Although the Facebook group still has a tremendous impact, there are limitations for farmers to grow their business substantially. Those solutions come through our website, www.shopkansasfarms.com,  which provides farmers with their e-commerce, digital storefronts. In addition, we assist them with marketing, selling and, the key to sustainability with direct-to-consumer sales, providing excellent customer service.