What do you do if your favorite restaurant is closed, and you’re wary about wandering into a grocery store? For many local households, the answer has been to rely more heavily on northern Michigan farms.

While the North’s agriculture industry is facing its own challenges and uncertainties right now — restaurant demand has shrunk significantly, and farmers markets are unlikely to return in their usual in-person format any time soon — many small farms have seen huge growth in their direct-to-consumer sales since COVID-19 impacted the United States. In this week's Northern Express — sister publication of The Ticker — writer Craig Manning reaches out to a dozen local farmers to find out how they’re weathering the pandemic, what they’ve done to pivot their selling strategies, and if the changes will be enough to keep them profitable.

Read the complete story online here, or pick up a free copy of the Northern Express at newsstand locations (including grocery stores) in 14 counties across northern Michigan.