One of the few bright spots in responding to outbreaks of COVID-19 is that it is NOT a livestock issue. You may, however, want to consider modifying your daily operations. In particular, you may want to restrict visitors’ or customers’ access to the farm, and both employees and visitors should follow directives concerning staying home when sick, hand-washing, and limiting close contact. And plan ahead – talk to your crop dealer about any possible disruptions in seed or fertilizer supplies, and make arrangements for someone to take over in case you get sick yourself and need to self-isolate. Beyond that, sanitation is even more important than usual.
The links below have useful information on all of these topics. We'll keep this updated with new and additional reseources as they become available:
Updated 4/28/20, 2:00pm
Guidance for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers and Employees from CDC to keep safe from COVID-19
Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network COVID-19 Resources - info on worker safety, online sales, and more
Guidance from the NH Dept. Ag Foods, and Markets on COVID-19 and Agriculture
Center for Dairy Excellence - COVID-19 Farm Resources
University of Maine Bulletin #1065 - How Can Livestock Farmers Prepare for the Coronavirus Outbreak?
Cornell University - COVID-19 and Your Dairy Webinar (from March 20, 2020)
Cornell University - Building Farm Resilience in this Crisis
COVID-19 in Dairy Cattle (fact sheet from Alltech; available in Spanish as well)
University of Maine - The Farmer's Response to Disease Outbreaks
NH Div Public Health Services: COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
