SUDBURY -- It's the new way of communicating for the agricultural industry as farmers have taken to social media to help promote and sell their products during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new Facebook group called Farm to Table - Northern Ontario was created on March 20, and it already has close to 900 members.
"Obviously it shows there is a need for it, or a desire for it," said Sean Barrette one of the co-creators of the group. "We don't know what's coming, we don't know how long this is going to be a thing. So it's just a reaction to this situation."
Craig Young, a local chef and the co-creator of the group, says it's a way to give people more options other than just the grocery store, but more importantly connect farmers to the end user.
"[A] farmer needs to know they have enough support to keep doing this," said Young. "We need to have a strong backbone for the farmers."
Since the group was first created, several local farmers have already made posts sharing their products and prices. Some people have also shared pre-made food and baked goods. Officials say, during this pandemic, it's important people know where they can get food, but the overall goal of the group is eventually to just connect farmers to buyers.
"If we can improve the reach for [farmers] just by [doing] what we know what to do, then why not?" said Barrette. "This is a great example of collaboration and a great example of bringing people together and using social media maybe for what it's supposed to be used for."
Officials say the Facebook group will continue to stay up even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
