AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – COVID-19 has impacted the agriculture industry; however, the full extent of the impact is currently unknown. Professionals with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University’s College of Agriculture are working to better understand these impacts. A study is underway to assess the effects COVID-19 is having on Alabama’s agricultural economy using an agriculture impact survey.
“We have all been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Max Runge, an Alabama Extension economist. “However, for those involved in production agriculture, the production did not stop. Even with supply chain disruptions, animals had to be cared for and plantings had to move forward despite market prices falling below cost of production.”
Through this survey, professionals are gathering information from all agriculture-related segments, spanning from row crops to livestock.
Complete the Assessment of COVID-19 Impacts on Alabama Agriculture survey at https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aWWrxxhNwjs0vqZ.
Survey participation
The survey is voluntary and anonymous. Because of the broad-reaching impacts on all phases of agriculture, the survey may be longer than typical surveys. Runge said the gathering of as much accurate information as possible is crucial to making the best estimate.
Those wishing to participate should use the following guidelines:
- Complete the survey only one time.
- If a farm has multiple operators involved, one complete survey is sufficient as long as it reports all the impacts.
- Submit surveys by June 30.
Professionals will share survey results with industry leaders, commodity groups and legislators in support of any policy and industry response that may be appropriate.
“The impacts of the pandemic will be felt for a long time,” Runge said. “For now, we would like to assess the impact COVID-19 is having on Alabama’s agriculture and related industries with this survey.”
More information
For more information on the survey, contact Max Runge at rungemw@auburn.edu. Visit the Alabama Extension website, www.aces.edu, for information on the effects of COVID-19.
