Articles Tagged with ''COVID-19''

During the COVID-19 pandemic it has been challenging to operate a small meat plant. However, most small meat plants have been able to successfully stay in business.

Like many businesses and people who would like to find a reset button for 2020, the veal industry — from farmers to processors — feel the same way. Can anyone even remember what we were anticipating and implementing the first two months of 2020? The impact COVID-19 has had on people and businesses is so unparalleled that it overshadows any original plans for 2020.

The year 2020 has been like a bad disaster movie in many ways, but there has been at least one unexpected benefit. If all the consumer trends were pointing toward small processors in 2019, there is no longer any question about it: independent processors are in demand.

Every person and every business was presented challenges they had never faced before. Nonetheless, the turkey industry’s response to the challenges it has faced during the past several months has been remarkable.

COVID-19 has been brutal on the industry. We have seen major producers temporarily shut down, entire segments put out of business, regional disruptions and politicians getting involved in the manufacture and distribution of meat and poultry. I am not telling you anything you don’t know; we have all lived it.

When a look ahead was taken a year ago at this time, the discussion focused on the pending game-changer. That is, when and how much will the China market reopen for U.S. chicken?

Demand drivers. Even without a worldwide pandemic, economic shutdowns and disruptions in food processing, Dan Basse would have covered demand drivers at the 15th annual Feeding Quality Forum.

This year has been a year of unprecedented challenge for the beef industry as we all adapted to navigate a changed world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.