AS MEAT PLANTS SLOW, U.S. WILL HELP GROWERS KILL LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS HAVE WARNED SINCE MID-MARCH OF A POTENTIALLY RUINOUS BACKUP ON THE FARM OF CATTLE AND HOGS BECAUSE OF A SLOWDOWN AT SLAUGHTER PLANTS. By Chuck Abbott 4/27/2020 The government offered to help livestock producers locate contractors skilled in killing herds or flocks of animals…

As COVID-19 pandemic rocks meatpacking industry, Iowans turn to local farmers to buy meat Meg and Dave Schmidt have raised grass-fed cattle on their western Iowa farm for eight years, selling beef to a modest clientele they’ve accumulated without having to advertise. This year, the hunger for meat is threatening to outstrip the supply, as…

Farm Journal coverage of local demand The Push to Process Local is a Positive for Some Pork Producers by Tyne Morgan Apr 24, 2020 As more packing plants shut down, and consumers fear a shortage of protein at their grocery store, COVID-19 is causing a rush for demand for locally raised beef and pork. (…

‘The Food Supply Chain Is Breaking.’ Tyson Foods Warns of Meat Shortage as Plants Close Due to COVID-19 Sanya Mansoor April 26, 2020 Tyson Foods, one of the U.S.’s biggest meat processors, didn’t mince words in a full page New York Times spread that ran Sunday, in which they warned, “the food supply chain is…

“If you can’t feed your own people, you can’t feed your own armies, it’s a huge national security issue, and I think we’re seeing that today. It’s just an absolute breakdown of the whole food system, and it’s scary.” Opinion: America has plenty of cattle. This is why you still can’t find beef in stores….

R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa View and share this news release on Facebook here. Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling for Beef, Pork and Dairy Petition Gets 26K Signatures in First 30 Hours Billings, Mont. – Yesterday, R-CALF USA along with some of its members launched a petition urging the President and Congress to immediately…

Coronavirus at meatpacking plants worse than first thought, USA TODAY investigation finds Coronavirus closed Smithfield and JBS meatpacking plants. Many more are at risk. Operators may have to choose between worker health or meat in stores. Kyle Bagenstose, Sky Chadde and Matt Wynn, USA TODAY Updated 1:13 p.m. MDT Apr. 22, 2020 Tyson Foods installed…

Open Markets: Agriculture Department Should Use Packers and Stockyards Act to Protect Farmers From Meatpacker Abuse March 13, 2020 Washington, DC — The Open Markets Institute urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to curtail meatpackers’ abusive tactics and to stand up to judicial overreach by reviving the Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA), in a…

Economic Concentration Multinational Meat Farms Could Be Making Us Sick Packing thousands of drugged-up animals in metal sheds, ignoring health concerns, makes perfect breeding grounds for pandemic. A meat processing plant in South Sioux City, Nebraska. (Photo by Carol Guzy/The Washington Post via Getty Images) April 21, 2020 Austin Frerick and Charlie Mitchell In the…

Meatpacking woes lead farmers to consider euthanizing hogs, holding back market-ready cattle · By Paul Hammel World-Herald staff writer Apr 23,2020 Jim Bartling in one of his family’s hog barns in Unadilla, Nebraska, on Wednesday. “The problem with being a hog farmer is that I just can’t shut the door and lock it like store…