East End farm stands see early uptick in customers looking to avoid grocery stores

East End farm stands are seeing an early boom in business with fewer people wanting to go into crowded supermarkets during the coronavirus outbreak.
Poultry farmer Wayne Meyers' stand didn't open until 10 a.m. Monday, but lines started stacking up by 8:30 a.m. The line added up to be more than 100 people deep.
Meyer says people are buying plenty of eggs, which they have fresh every day, unlike some area stores that are facing a shortage of eggs. People are even going straight to the source of the eggs as well.

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"They're buying chickens, more and more people," says Meyer. "We're getting another 50, 100 customers."
Brendan Byrne, of East Quogue, says he's been buying chickens for two years now, and is especially glad he started in light of the ongoing crisis.
"Just having the eggs is less reason to go to the store, that's No. 1. And then it's also kind of like a homesteading type of practice," says Byrne.
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It's still early in the season for farms, with only a handful actually open. Some, like Schmitt's on Sound Avenue, are offering drive-up service.
Ty Llwyd in Riverhead is a small, family-run farm where they raise vegetables, chickens and cows. They've seen an uptick in customers as well.
"The grocery stores were becoming sold out of a lot of things, so people were coming here a lot more," says Liz Wines, from Ty Llwyd. "Also they come here because we're out in the fresh air and there's less chance of being close to each other."
Along with a sense of neighborliness, many people hope an appreciation for local farming is one positive amid the crisis.