Local farmers started selling online during the pandemic. That trend is here to stay

Just as consumers turned to online shopping during the pandemic, many farmers started selling their products online over the past two years.
When the pandemic first hit, Maureen Schletzbaum had to figure out how to sell her produce while avoiding human contact. Normally, she’d set up a booth at two different farmers markets near Pleasantville, Iowa, where she and her daughter operate Straw Hat Farms.

But as COVID-19 continued to spread, Schletzbaum opted to go online. She listed the products she had available — peppers, potatoes, flowers — on her website. And orders flooded in.