WASHINGTON, DC — Normally this time of year Tiffany Bellfield-El-Amin would be giving farm tours at her Madison County, Kentucky based Ballew Estates and gearing up to host an annual women's retreat. 

"I grow different types of plants, herbs, bushes, and trees to support the pollinator ecosystem and habitat," she said.

The social distancing required to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus has temporarily halted tours but she's finding success in the unexpected online sales of her natural teas.

"My teas went shoop," she gestures upward with excitement.

She'll have to eventually take inventory of how much she's lost due to diminished foot traffic on the farm that's been in her family for nearly a hundred years but she's thrilled to see how interest in boosting the immune system through natural remedies seems to have increased during this time of renewed focus on health.

"I’m big on immune support. It has actually been a diamond in the rough. We are stuck on doing elderberry syrup. We are the elderberry people now. Even in the elderberry syrup, we put local honey in it," she said.

It's not only Bellfield-El-Amin​ still working the land. The American Farm Bureau Federation is encouraging farmers and ranchers to use the hashtag #stillfarming on social media to illustrate their essential role amid the pandemic.

"This is not a cure. There is no cure for COVID right now. This is me saying preventatively take care of yourself and you realize that not only can you fight viruses better, you can fight bacterial infections better," she said.