Illinois’s Small Farmers Turn to Tech During Pandemic Restaurant Closures | Eater Chicago

"In downstate Champaign, the co-owners run a goat farm and creamery whose spring 'kidding' season revolves around bottle-feeding babies, milking does, and making chevre that was primarily sold wholesale to Chicago restaurants. When the pandemic began they sent volunteers home to limit spread, leaving a small crew to manage a surge of births while large restaurant orders were slashed or canceled, creating urgent excess production. In response they scrambled to rebuild relationships with local independent grocers and rapidly launched their own online store, a shift they view as evidence of the resiliency and importance of a short, local food supply chain." - Naomi Waxman