Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 4/2/20

National polling out today from the progressive group RuralOrganizing.org and Change Research takes stock of how the coronavirus is hitting rural communities. MA got an exclusive early look at the data, which was gathered from March 26-29. Here are some highlights:

A deep recession could hit rural areas the hardest. About one-third of all respondents said the pandemic and economic slowdown has lowered their income because of lost business — but the numbers were highest in the most remote areas.

Trump’s ag impact? Asked if Trump is hurting farmers and rural communities, 51 percent agreed either “somewhat” or “strongly,” compared with a combined 41 percent who “somewhat” or “strongly” disagreed. (But most of the respondents said they didn’t rely on agriculture for at least 25 percent of their family’s income.)

Food supply: Overall, about nine out of 10 respondents said they’ve experienced “low inventory at stores or online,” while 41 percent have seen the cost of supplies increase. Just 16 percent of respondents said they’ve increased their use of grocery delivery services, more commonly in large metro areas.