Square Roots’ Michigan COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan

As a distributed farming company that operates in both Michigan and New York, we are committed to meeting and exceeding all safety guidelines set by federal, state, and local governments where we work. Our policies are coordinated by a centralized Safety Team based at our HQ in Brooklyn, New York, who work in close consultation with our local farm teams. The policies are regularly reviewed and renewed to reflect any updated government guidance and/or the latest industry standards.

As Michigan now takes steps to safely reopen, Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently issued an Executive Order requiring all businesses to publicly make available their COVID-19 Preparedness Policies by June 1, 2020. Anyone can access Square Roots’ Michigan COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan here (updated in February 2021).

When sustained community spread of coronavirus became obvious in March, our team rapidly reconfigured operations to provide heightened levels of people safety as well as food safety. These changes were in line with Michigan’s original “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order.

As an agriculture and food production business growing crops for human consumption, certain Square Roots employees were designated as “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” by the US Department of Homeland Security as well as the Michigan State executive order. This designation has allowed those employees to move freely in order to get to work and perform essential duties—growing food and distributing that food to people who need it.

Since mid-March, we have been following re-engineered workflows that ensure social distancing, while implementing numerous additional precautions to protect our teams and the wider community. You can find the full list of safety measures in Square Roots’ Michigan COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan (updated in February 2021).

Our farms will continue to operate through this pandemic, in line with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration Emergency Rules, to bring as much food to as many people as possible, while ensuring food-safety and people-safety are the top priorities.

Obviously, this situation is very fluid, and we are constantly assessing information to make the best decisions in line with our mission of “bringing local, real food to people in cities around the world by empowering next-gen leaders in urban farming.” If anything changes, as the full extent of the pandemic unfolds, we will do our best to provide transparency and clarity on this blog and through our social channels. But please feel free to email me directly if you have any questions or additional thoughts. (tobias@squarerootsgrow.com)

Stay safe!

Tobias Peggs
Square Roots CEO