February 2021 - 24

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Direct sales still key despite
COVID-19 market changes
By Dean Peterson
VGN Correspondent
Direct sales at farmers' markets and
farm stands have been the only outlets
for Thorson's Farm Fresh Produce
of Browerville, Minnesota, but the
uncertainty of the pandemic meant
developing a website for the 2020 season.
" We structured our online presence
this year based on COVID. We wanted to
have alternatives - depending on how the
year went, " said Erik Thorson, the second
generation member of Thorson's with his
wife, Sara.
But the farmers' markets and farm stands
adapted and customers kept coming.
Masks and gloves for workers, and
hand-washing stations for customers,
became standard. Space was added to
keep a safer distance between workers and
customers. Transactions were streamlined
so customers could get in and out more
quickly - and customers noticed.
" People saw it as a pretty safe
" People saw it as a pretty safe environment, " said Erik Thorson of Thorson's Farm
Fresh Produce of Browerville, Minnesota. Photo: Dean Peterson
environment, " Thorson said.
Thorson's Farm Fresh Produce sells
at four farmers' markets and two farm
stands in Minnesota. The farmers' markets
include the three Brainerd Lakes Area
Farmers' Markets in the towns of Nisswa,
Baxter and Brainerd and at the St. Cloud
Area Farmers' Market in St. Cloud.
Thorson's also sells at their farm market
in Long Prairie and at a stand near Park
Rapids where Erik and Sara live. Erik works
for the state of Minnesota's Department of
Natural Resources and Erik and Sara are in
the process of slowly taking over managing
the farm from Erik's parents, Mike and
Eloise Thorson. Facebook updates on
market day confirm to customers Thorson's
Farm Fresh Produce will be at the market
and highlights what's available. An email
group works well, too - especially for
regular customers.
Thorson's started featuring half-bushels
of vegetables in 2020 for canning, pickling
or freezing and it was surprisingly
successful. People had more interest in
local growers because of COVID and had
a lot more time on their hands. " We talked
to a lot of people who were canning or
pickling for the first time, " Thorson said.
" There was a lot of interest and my mother
gave a lot of advice. "
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February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2021
