Thank You, Farmers
March 30, 2020
Thank You, Farmers
With COVID-19 spreading across the globe and becoming a pandemic, many are retreating to their homes and taking their work online. But for farmers, that’s not an option.
Farming is critical at all times to the quality and availability of food, to keep our society healthy and growing. It’s fundamental to providing nutrition. As U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently said, “Food is essential all year round. But in the face of a pandemic, it is critical the shelves remain stocked and supplies remain plentiful.”
Beyond food, agriculture is also a key contributor to many other industries, including the transportation, textile, and service industries. Many household products, such as fiber and plastic, are byproducts of farming.
Governments around the world are recognizing the importance of farming and agriculture to continue during this pandemic. In the U.S., the Homeland Security Department released a memandorum identifying food and agriculture as essential critical infrastructure, stating that “If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security … you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.”
In Australia, the National Farmers Federation (NFF) says the government is acknowledging the critical importance of a reliable food supply chain. “The NFF has been assured that agriculture and the food supply chain will not be interrupted, despite the closure of travel between some states,” says NFF President Fiona Simson.
Even Italy, Europe’s hardest-hit country, has made agricultural production an exception to its lockdown, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which is based in Rome, continues to work remotely through telecommunication. In Brazil, the Minister of Agriculture Tereza Cristina said there should be no concern about COVID-19 impacts and changes that need to be made to its food supply.
We know you are facing uncertain times. You may be worried about your labor force, whether you’ll have the inputs you need, and the health and safety of family members who work off the farm. We want you to know that Trimble is open for business and is maintaining the guidelines set forth by the government to protect our customers, resellers, partners, and employees. We’re still committed to improving your productivity in these challenging times while doing everything we can to keep everyone safe and healthy.
“Our CEO since day one has been extremely serious about doing the right thing for our community to maintain as much as we could the highest quality of service possible for every single one of our customers, respecting local Health guidelines and the safety of our employees, partners and everyone involved,” says Guillermo Perez-Iturbe, Director of Marketing for Trimble Agriculture.
We also know that you have not stopped farming, and for that we are grateful. Thank you for continuing to do the hard work it takes to grow the crops our society needs, and for taking the precautions necessary to farm safely during this time. As an industry, we are all in this together, and we thank you immensely for continuing to grow the food that feeds the world.
To read more about Trimble’s response to COVID-19, visit our dedicated response page by clicking here.