The drought and the pandemic have created challenges for farmers and small businesses across the state. Farmers Feeding Utah Miracle projects are one way the Miracle of Agriculture Foundation has been helping farmers, and now the foundation is working on more options to connect the community to local products.
“We're launching a Utah local marketplace. That starts out with what we call the Touch of Utah Subscription Box, where people pay a monthly subscription fee, and they get new, exciting, delicious Utah products every single month," said Joshua Palmer, the CEO of Cogburn Wire Company and GovFriend Inc, the software companies used to help connect Utahns to local foods.
Products don’t get into the box unless it’s from a local farmer, producer, or small business. By buying these boxes, Palmer said people are also helping families in need through the Farmers Feeding Utah Miracle Projects.
“What we're doing is we're pledging a food donation for every subscription box so that we can continue the miracle projects and help these families in need," he said.
The project's goal in connecting farmers and businesses directly to the public is to help them to make more than they normally would.
“And if we can make it convenient to buy local, if we can make it so that farmers can not only survive but thrive, then we we believe that that's a good thing for Utah," he said. "We think it's a good thing for fresh food. And we think it's a good thing for food security.