MEAT SHORTAGES ARE COMING

[user 6493]

all that chicken and hamburger in my freezer are starting to look real good

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/g...ortages-by-end-of-week/ar-BB13hxGk?li=BBnb7Kz

 

[user 6493]

well I can see hunting season may come early this year,if supplies dwindle the deer population will suffer around here,,,,,,,,,,,I should be able to make fall with what I have ,,,then the hunt begins

 

[tmttactical]

We are completely stocked up on meat. Both freezers full. Trying to talk wife in getting a third freezer. I am positive we could last about a year, if we rationed our meat but I would not mind having some excess. We have lots of dry goods, in large quantities. Plenty of canned goods. Lots of coffee but never enough. Plenty of water filters and of course a lot of ammo and more being loaded. Just to keep my hands from being idle and doing the Devil's work. LOL

 

[DrHenley]

Supermarket was well stocked with meat this morning. I bought my limit of ground pork as that is what my wife cooks with mostly.

 

[Kevin L]

I've been a vegetarian before, and--if neccesary--will be again.

Going without meat for extended lengths of time does not bother me. During a period in my youth, I went 3 years as a complete vegetarian (without even eggs or dairy products), and I felt great.

An interesting side effect of vegetarianism was a change in my body odor, and mosquitoes found me less appealing.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I'm stocked up on meat, we have 3 refrigerator/freezer combos and a chest freezer. We also have about 120lbs. Of canned meats. Have chickens and lots of wild game for fresh meats.

I think I will try to get some more prime steaks just to be safe.

 

[user 6493]

We are completely stocked up on meat. Both freezers full. Trying to talk wife in getting a third freezer. I am positive we could last about a year, if we rationed our meat but I would not mind having some excess. We have lots of dry goods, in large quantities. Plenty of canned goods. Lots of coffee but never enough. Plenty of water filters and of course a lot of ammo and more being loaded. Just to keep my hands from being idle and doing the Devil's work. LOL

I am searching for another freezer myself and I know where to get all the fresh meat I want,,the woods are full of game,,,deer rabbits and hog are all on my shopping list come fall

 

[user 6493]

and I can fish as much as I want I have many lakes and 2 rivers close by

 

[Jayson]

All the quail, dove, pheasants and wild turkeys in my neck of the woods better find a good place to roost or they’re going to be on my dinner plate soon.

 

[dirtdiva]

Ya know a few months ago now I remember reading a small blurp online about possible shortage of materials for making toilet paper put out by Proctor and Gamble Inc, the maker of Charmin. Seems some of the raw materials for some of their products came from China and they released a friendly warning. RIGHT. Next thing you know people are wrestling each other for toilet paper in the stores. Wonder how many millions Proctor and Gamble made off that shortage. I firmly believe they created their own panic driven shortage.

China owns Smithfield and says there may be a shortage but every grocery store for miles around is running a supposed sale on Smithfield bacon. And China will make millions off the supposed "shortage" because there will be a run on their product to empty the warehouses while they are shutdown. Color me suspicious. And they just happen to want to warn you ahead of time

Oh there is meat to be had it may not be wrapped in styrofoam trays though.


Tyson has released a statement about a shortage so everyone must run buy Tyson.

I don't buy Smithfield bacon anyway we smoke our own. We don't eat Tyson anyway we try to buy poultry from local farmers whenever possible and butcher our own sometimes. The solution is buy American within your own community. Time for you to feed a farmer

Meanwhile my freezers are full. My pantry has jars of canned meat , fish and poultry. I have already made arrangements for my normal fall meat purchase from a neighbor that I have been buying from for years. Not to mention my husband and I cut our meat consumption in half a couple years ago anyway, reduced our dairy other than grass fed local butter from the mennonites. Let the games begin.

 

[dirtdiva]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloes...e-reality-is-far-less-worrisome/#6733bd1e2a6b

The danger will only continue to grow,” said Marc Perrone, the international president of United Food and Commercial Workers, America’s largest food and retail union.

But will there be an actual widespread shortage of meat in America? Not likely.

“There will be pulses of supply disruption like this, and associated corrective action, but I am thankful our food system is diversified as it is,” says Robert Brown, a cofounder of San Francisco-based private equity firm Encore Consumer Capital.

The industry is likely to experience constraints in the weeks to come, and experts say some cuts of meat could end up being limited on shelves. Inventory heading to supermarkets is still strong, according to USDA data, which in 2016 identified 35,000 food and beverage manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and more than 30 states with at least 300 factories.

“Despite the fact there has been tremendous consolidation of large food companies over the last 20 years, there has been an equal amount of innovation as well,” says Brown. “This diversification should serve us well in this time when our food system is working overtime to keep up with today’s stockpiling of food at the household level. These facilities also tend to be located in geographies outside of major population centers that are experiencing the most rapid spread of COVID-19.”

The message isn’t filtering down to consumers. Pandemic stockpiling has already pushed demand for meat to a new high, which overwhelmed slaughterhouses are struggling to keep up with: Meat purchases are up 50% and sales of frozen food are up 40%, the highest growth rates across nationwide grocery stores, according to Nielsen data published at the end of March.

The top ten Nielsen sales categories now include chicken and pork, and companies like Tyson, America’s largest meat producer, are mobilizing to quickly move meat destined for restaurants and other hospitality clients to grocery stores.

 

[dirtdiva]

https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/livestock/article/2020/03/30/meat-shortages-building-market

After the Pandemic
Meat Shortages Building More Market Connections

A lot of beef producers have worked hard the last few years to reach consumers, hoping for income streams tied to direct sales. Today all of that has flipped. In many areas, consumers are now reaching out to their local farmers, looking to buy product directly from the source.

Third-generation Virginia beef producer, Basil Gooden, says one result of current meat shortages may well be long-term change in how people buy and consume food.

Gooden is a visiting scholar at Virginia Commonwealth University, in the Sustainable Food Access Core of the Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation (iCubed). He has served as Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, as well as the Virginia State Director for Rural Development at the USDA. He took time to speak with this Progressive Farmer editor about the current pandemic, and how it has the potential to affect future connections between beef producers and their local communities.

The Goodens' family farm is an Angus-based, commercial cow-calf operation with about 80-head in Buckingham County, Virginia. Gooden says they were in the process of transitioning the operation to more direct sales before the pandemic.

 

[dirtdiva]

https://www.lanereport.com/124073/2020/04/no-shortage-in-u-s-meat-supply-amid-pandemic/

No shortage in U.S. meat supply

LEXINGTON, Ky. — By the looks of grocery store meat cases, many Americans may believe there is a shortage in the U.S. meat supply. But, University of Kentucky of meat scientist Gregg Rentfrow explained that is not the case.

“Rest assured, what we have been witnessing is panic buying and stockpiling,” he said. “People are simply buying more meat, and it is no indication of a shortage in our supply chain.”

With farming and meat processing deemed an essential business activity, the agriculture sector has not slowed down. In fact, the North American Meat Institute reported a sharp increase in meat sales, which is evident in grocery stores. When COVID-19 began to globally spread, NAMI began to help the meat industry prepare for increased demand. In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service is continuing to actively inspect both large and small processors.

“There’s not a shortage, but with buyers demanding more of certain items, some items may not always be readily available,” Rentfrow said. “That just means that in the short term, you may have to settle for a cut that you don’t usually buy. Our county family and consumer sciences extension agents are great resources for finding recipes and providing instruction on how to cook familiar and unfamiliar cuts of meat. It might be time to branch out and try something new.”

Food safety is also on many shoppers’ minds, and that has only increased during the pandemic. Consumers are asking a lot of questions regarding transmission of COVID-19 through meat and other foods.

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says there is no evidence COVID-19 can be transmitted through food or food packaging,” Rentfrow explained. “Remember, coronavirus is a respiratory illness that is spread primarily through human contact; it is not a pathogen associated with foodborne illnesses that cause gastrointestinal illness.”

Meat processing facilities in Kentucky and across the United States have rigorous, daily cleaning and sanitizing procedures in place. The workers all wear protective equipment to safeguard against contamination.

Even so, meat processing plants are beginning to feel the impact of the pandemic.

“I’ve heard that some plants have shuttered production due to workers contracting the virus and others have slowed production,” Renfrow said. “Many plants are shifting animals to other plants to help maintain the supply chain.”

Social distancing is a challenge in meat production plants. Rentfrow said many plants are beginning to screen employees before each shift and are providing extra protective gear to help control the spread of COVID-19.

“Some plants are hiring temporary or replacement workers, while others are staggering shifts to help spread workers out in the facility,” he said. “Fortunately, I’m hearing most plants are providing full pay for sick workers who need to miss shifts and they are also providing temporary lunch and break rooms in tents to help spread workers out during times they might naturally be closer together.”

While shopping during this pandemic has been stressful and challenging, Rentfrow urged consumers not to be afraid of meat shortage.

“I just want to encourage people not to stockpile, to be patient and allow the supply chain to catch up,” he said. “The entire meat industry, from farm to processor to retailer, is laser focused on providing a safe product to consumers. There is no shortage and things will even out in the meat case, if we’re patient and continue traditional buying habits.”

 

[Kevin L]

Meat consumption is so overrated.

We are all talking about surviving the apocalypse . . . yet we bitch about a meat shortage?

It may seem difficult to go vegetarian at first . . . but it really does change the way you feel (for the better) in subtle ways.

If you guys just try it and stick to it for a while, you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[tmttactical]

If we run out of meat, I guess we won't have any choice in the matter. If we continue to have meat, then I guess I will stay a carnivore.

 

[DrPrepper1]

If we ran out of meat, and everyone was suddenly forced to be a vegetarian, are there enough beans and grains to support everyone?

 

[Brent S]

well I can see hunting season may come early this year,if supplies dwindle the deer population will suffer around here,,,,,,,,,,,I should be able to make fall with what I have ,,,then the hunt begins

I was reading about during the Great Depression most animal populations were wiped out in just weeks. I’m glad I have a full freezer as well.

 

[Kevin L]

If we ran out of meat, and everyone was suddenly forced to be a vegetarian, are there enough beans and grains to support everyone?

In a way . . . yes.

It takes approximately 11 lbs. of grain to make one pound of meat. This is an average, as pork takes less than 11 lbs., while beef takes more than 11 lbs.. It also takes 35 pounds of topsoil, and 2,500 gallons of water for each pound of beef.

If everyone turned vegetarian, the human race would be drowning in food and nobody would ever starve. See below link.

http://www.earthsave.org/environment.htm

There are ways that these numbers are tweaked.

In Britain, there was an epidemic of mad cow disease (a universally fatal prion disease) because farmers wanted to save money, so they added the chopped-up, processed remains of slaughtered cattle to the cattle feed. This extra protein allowed them to use smaller amounts of grain, but the results were disasterous, as many people died.

We can also tweak these numbers if we use huge amounts of steroids and antibiotics. In Puerto Rico, there was a bad epidemic of girls hitting puberty very early . . . like around five and six years old . . . and, occasionally, becoming pregnant at eight or nine. This was because of the steroids in the beef and chicken. See below link:

http://eblogfa.com/747/3-health-effects-of-hormones-in-meat-on-humans

 

[DrHenley]

If we ran out of meat, and everyone was suddenly forced to be a vegetarian, are there enough beans and grains to support everyone?

No. There are not enough meat substitutes to feed everyone.

 

[Kevin L]

No. There are not enough meat substitutes to feed everyone.

I'm surprised.

I don't often disagree with you, but a pound of assorted grains and beans cooked together has almost as much protein as a pound of meat.

They key is cooking them together, as a bean may be deficient in a specific amino acid, which is added (or "complemented") by adding a different grain and/or bean that supplies the missing essential amino acid.

So . . . if I skip raising an 1,100 pound steer for slaughter, I can have around 12,000 pounds of grain and legumes . . . although this is a low estimate, as all 1,100 pounds of steer aren't eaten. There are bones, inedible parts, and so on that are discarded.

Also, the vast amount of water and topsoil that are saved by avoiding beef should also be considered when cultivating grains and beans. A "back of the envelope" calculation seems to suggest that we can have--perhaps--20,000 pounds of grain and beans for every 1,100 pound steer if we consider the water and topsoil issues that I mentioned in the earlier post. Please also note that there are some vegetable crops that are even complete proteins in and of themselves. Quinoa is a complete protein. So is an African grain called Teff (it's delicious, if cooked well). So is spirulina, and spirulina is actually more nutritious than beef.

If we consider all these points together, it seems like eliminating beef is a "win" in a survival sense . . . even if it means that we have to lower our culinary (ie: "spoiled American") expectations.

I would also imagine that the country would save a lot of money in healthcare costs over things like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and so on . . . which are often caused (or worsened) by a diet high in animal products.

If I'm wrong, then please clarify.

 

[DrHenley]

Kevin I am talking about what is available now in the supply chain. The supermarket shelves many places are already bare of flour, rice, and beans. If everyone switched to meat substitutes right now, there would be none left on the shelves anywhere.

The US could grow enough meat substitutes to feed half the world without even cutting back on meat production. Many millions of Asians eat soybeans grown in the US right now. Soybean exports from the US run between $1 billion to $2 billion every month - we're talking about something like 12 billion pounds of soybeans exported per month.

 

[Maverick]

I'm not overly worried about a meat shortage, we got enough in our freezers, livestock, wildlife and lots of lakes for fishing.

 

[Kevin L]

Kevin I am talking about what is available now in the supply chain. The supermarket shelves many places are already bare of flour, rice, and beans. If everyone switched to meat substitutes right now, there would be none left on the shelves anywhere.

The US could grow enough meat substitutes to feed half the world without even cutting back on meat production. Many millions of Asians eat soybeans grown in the US right now. Soybean exports from the US run between $1 billion to $2 billion every month - we're talking about something like 12 billion pounds of soybeans exported per month.

I misunderstood your point, then.

It does seem likely that there may not be enough food in the grocery chain to feed everybody.

Thank you for clarifying.

 

[DrHenley]

Sorry I wasn't clear Kevin.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I've got a couple freezers full of beef, chicken and pork. Plus I'll be butchering a couple heifers for family and a steer for us around September.
Meat is not an issue for us. Besides the beef there's no shortage of deer, elk, grouse and turkey on the property. Plus bluegill and catfish in the pond and trout and crawdads in all the creeks around here.
On the down side; I was counting on selling some calves and cows this spring. While the price of beef may be high in the grocery stores, the price of cattle is down. Bad time to sell but a good time to buy if you have some pasture ground.

 

[Dani]

I'm not so worried about meat shotages for us per say, but the 50 plus "family" who are going to be looking at us for help. That will have to be parents, sis, kids and grandkids only. None of my mom's husband's kids and their grandkids, think their is a couple greats in there now too rare just on their own.

Hunny is going to expand my goat barn again and I told him I would like a section after off for my milk g stunch. I would really like to be able to milk again but the way it is set up now, it just not possible to put some grain down for the mommas and keep everyone e!we from getting to it. While talking, hunny joked about maybe calling one of the fairies to see if they had any milk cows they want to sell. It is prime time to be buying. . . I don't think he is totally serious, but you never know with him.

 

[Kevin L]

Plus bluegill and catfish in the pond and trout and crawdads in all the creeks around here.

If you eat the crawdads, make double-damn sure that you really cook them all the way through . . . even if it spoils the culinary aspect a bit. It is much better to slightly overcook rather than undercook when it comes to crawdads. If you're handling raw or living crawdads, be careful that you don't touch your face (or anyone else's face) until you completely wash your hands.

Almost all American crayfish carry lung flukes, which are worms that can invade your brain, lungs, spinal cord, spleen, and liver.

There is no real cure. See link below:

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/paragonimiasis

 

[Mountain trapper]

If you eat the crawdads, make double-damn sure that you really cook them all the way through . . . even if it spoils the culinary aspect a bit. It is much better to slightly overcook rather than undercook when it comes to crawdads.

American crayfish carry lung flukes, which are worms that can invade your brain, lungs, and liver.

There is no real cure. See link below:

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/paragonimiasis

I never knew that about crawdads. Apparently I've always cooked them well enough.
Thanks for the advice. That's good information to keep in mind.

 

[Kevin L]

I never knew that about crawdads. Apparently I've always cooked them well enough.
Thanks for the advice. That's good information to keep in mind.

No prob.

The flukes concern me, but I have not been able to find an answer with regards to this issue.

Bass absolutely love crawdads. So do opposum and raccoon. I do know that these worms can infect dogs and cats.

Does eating undercooked bass put one at risk for this? How about eating raccoons?

I don't know, and haven't been able to get an answer.

 

[tmttactical]

I only eat the crawdads big brother ---- LOBSTER!! LOL