Possible meat shortages soon

No doubt that the media can cause panic buying. I recall Johnny Carson said in his monologue on the Tonight Show that there was a report about a possible shortage of toilet paper and overnight stores were selling out. So the media does contribute to the problem, but when it is strictly a media generated problem the supply chain quickly catches up and the panic evaporates. The problem that may occur with the present situation will be much more than a short term media deal. If the Pause button remains pushed on the economy, particularly on retail food business particularly restaurants which make up over 50% of meat consumption in the US , there will be a glut on the market because ranchers will have to sell their market ready animals. That meat has a use date then once that due date passes there will be no meat in the pipeline and then the shortage/panic buying cycle ensues.

The problem will be short term if the dim-witted politicians open up their states so that restaurants can get back in production, but if very many follow the Michigan example, the US is in for a hard Winter.
 
Well, Trump has ordered the meat packing plants to stay open? I’m not sure how well this will work with minimal staffing because many of the workers are in quarantine after testing positive for the virus?
 
As of this morning I have finally made arrangements with local small processors to cut up 30 pigs for me to share with employees, friends, and family.

Also heard the local Walmart and a couple other stores are out of Pork today.

I plan to freeze the trimmings for sausage and butcher a few beef as well as harvest a few extra deer this fall. Probably better buy a couple more freezers. But we will be eating well;)
 
@Mr. Zorg - due respect, amigo, not seeing anything which changes my position.

I do hope I've misread the signals.
 
i have 2 large upright freezers, and 2 medium chest freezers (ok, one chest freezer is full of hawk food) but at every chance, i fill em up with salmon, moose, caribou or halibut, plus as my wife has noted i am a meat whore so, we are pretty set up. buy meat when there is a deal, kill the rest and live so large you can can share with kids, friends and family!
 
@Mr. Zorg - due respect, amigo, not seeing anything which changes my position.

I do hope I've misread the signals.
No offense taken Sarge, and none intended to be given. Can you share a link on the CO2 shortage? I found this one now from the CGA dated April 11. But nothing in response.

https://www.cganet.com/industry-warns-risk-of-carbon-dioxide-shortage-in-us/

I also see the government is finding diverting ethanol production to use in hand sanitizer more difficult.

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/04/30/us/30reuters-health-coronavirus-ethanol-sanitizer.html

FWIW, the last CO2 shortage in Europe a few years ago put stopping making soda fizzy way, way before impacting anything nutritious and frozen (meats, fruits, and vegetables). A tiered approach to handling the situation. So far the domestic carbonated beverage industry seems not to be impacted.

https://www.bevnet.com/news/2020/amid-production-drop-beverage-co2-supply-chains-steady-for-now

But there evidently some areas that depend on CO2 to produce potable municipal water. That's a bit odd in my experience and potable water is manufactured without using CO2 in many parts of the USA so maybe alternate technology approaches can be used.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/20/carbon-dioxide-shortage-us-food-water-coronavirus

So hard to say where this really sits but industrial CO2 can and is manufactured and recovered outside the ethanol fuel mandate production system. Even if petroleum refinery hydrogen demand drops to zero, the hydrogen plants can be run on their own solely to manufacture on-purpose CO2 where recovery facilities exist, by burning the hydrogen as part of the massive fuel demand for the endothermic reactions that convert natural gas (methane) and water (steam) in the presence of special catalysts that lower the energy requirements. It won't be very economical relative to pre-COVID-19 manufacturing since normally hydrogen is the desired demand product with CO2 a byproduct but it would be available. As with everything else, "How much is it worth to you?" is a big question, and who gets to be in line first. Inexpensive (say 2019 basis) industrial CO2 may be at risk but there are ways to get CO2 that still exist and have existed before MTBE was banned as gasoline oxygenate blendstock in the USA.

HEB grocery stores continue to have their reinstated meat item limits, and well-stocked meat departments here in San Antonio, with no signs of frenzy buying when I went mid-morning on Sat to pick up a script and a few items. HEB seems to have calmed their (large if not largest) market share in the local populace by re-instituting item limits on meat purchases. The local media has been noticably unhelpful in the degree of fueling these things.

Walmart and Sam's Club have no item limits on meat purchases, well stocked meat departments, and no panic buying frenzy on Thu last week. TBH, since the initial panic buying of toilet paper, canned foods, eggs, and meat begain in March the meat departments once restocked several weeks ago have remained so except last week's run that prompted meat item limits to be reinstated at HEB. I don't have a Costco membership so I have no idea what's going on in their stores. And I normally don't shop at Whole Foods or Sprouts but they've had commodities like eggs and dairy products available sometimes while the other retailers haven't in this area anyway.

I can't speak for the packing houses, but since they're now essential businesses I suppose military could be an option for a temporary labor force there. Expertise and equipment for protecting personnel from nuclear, biological, and chemical threats at least used to be important there. Today, I really don't know.

I'm in good shape as long as electric power is available. I have a pre-owned commercial upright freezer in the garage larger than most folks' combination refrigerator / freezer in their kitchen, currently filled with beef, pork, and venison (some of which I shot) primarily large cuts for the beef and pork. Plus one combination refrigerator / freezer in the kitchen and a second combo unit in the garage. Those aren't full but are readily available if need to fill them arises.

If electric power supply goes out for any significant period I have 4 BBQ grills and smokers, including a 24" ID combination horizontal offset + vertical mounted on a trailer and a great supply of solid fuel. I'll run the chuckwagon on our cul-de-sac!:)
 
Today's 5 PM news showed Costco has now put meat purchase limits in place. I didn't catch whether that was Costco nationwide or just the San Antonio area.

I saw this piece by NBC regarding the meat processing plants.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opini...king-order-returns-us-jungle-days-ncna1198761

I know the military has filled in for normally civilian tasks in times of emergency. When we lived in rural SE Louisiana through the Hurricane Katrina experience and aftermath, troops performed the unenviable task of cleaning out the meat storage facilities after a prolonged loss of electric power.

https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/19032-recalling-katrina
 
Today's 5 PM news showed Costco has now put meat purchase limits in place. I didn't catch whether that was Costco nationwide or just the San Antonio area.



The letter from corporate has one of the changes due to the Coronavirus is the limiting of beef, pork & poultry to three items. But the items can be a whole NY strip or rib or full pork loin, so it is possible to purchase over 50 pounds of meat in one trip. the limit is for all US stores and Puerto Rico.
 
I'm confused about the need for meat purchase limits. I thought there were billions of pounds of meat in storage. Meat producers, while they are having to cut production due to the virus, would have nowhere to send their product anyway. Perhaps my facts are wrong.
REF: https://dailycaller.com/2018/07/23/meat-sitting-in-us-warehouses/
 
Me too BigSteve57 other than to dampen any repeats of the shock effects of sudden retail stockpiling on the supply chain witnessed in March around here anyway.

As far as CO2 constraints thus far it appears impacts will be primarily seen in small businesses in the carbonated beverage industry: craft beers and smaller soda brands, similar to what Europe saw in 2018.

https://m.foodingredientsfirst.com/...-drinks-industry-concern-as-co2-runs-low.html

Road vehicle traffic here in San Antonio has taken a quantum leap upward from where it was two weeks ago while I've been on the road to Dr appointments and such. Thankfully we're not in an area refusing to start easing restrictions here. I might even be able to get a haircut by Memorial Day Weekend!
 
The whole meat shortage thing is something I am not understanding or seeing any real evidence of..

Costco here just put a limit on meat purchases... so have a couple of the big grocery chains...

But I was in Walmart last night and saw all of the meats fully stocked..

I was just in a Tom Thumb about 2 hours ago... this is what I saw...

IMG_6037.JPG


I just called my rancher that have talked about getting a half beef from... and placed an order.. no problem getting me an entire half of a cow in the normal amount of time it usually takes to process and deliver.. and at no increase in price...

So if Tom Thumb is fully stocked and a rancher in VA has beef to spare (good friend owns a small cattle ranch there), and a TX rancher has beef to spare.. and all are selling at the same price today that they were selling at a month ago...

Why is everyone else claiming there is a problem?
 
BBC News - Coronavirus: Meat shortage leaves US farmers with 'mind-blowing' choice
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52575904
That explains it-kind of. But I'm still confused. There are supposedly billions of pounds of meat in freeze/storage. That means that there is a capacity of billions of pounds of this type of storage - think of it like a buffer. So clear out the storage - sell it or give it away if you have to. Then have these farmers fill the empty warehouses. Lather, rinse, repeat. But to "euthanize" or in other words waste them?

I'm someone that has more than once dragged a deer for over a mile in the snow because of the ethic that if I killed it I or someone else will damn well eat it. This turn of events, the mere thought of it, just destroys me.

I will not sleep well tonight.
 
On the news here there is some reports of extra meat needed for the US market due to your meat planst closing. That is at least some good news for our farmers, yours, not so much.
 
Today's report appears to reinforce the CO2 shortage will primarily impact the beverage industry, through increased prices.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fo...oda-may-flatten-due-to-falling-gas-prices.amp

Large businesses are likely have locked in sources early with small businesses likely to be the ones mostly impacted.

Meanwhile, here in the US various entities have made progress routing more food supplies with greater nutritional value, like dairy, routed to food banks vs being dumped. I hope that continues to grow and expand.
 
Always thought they were lot smaller than that. ...only seen on TV though

That's a big one. we should of weighed him. Here in Kansas they eat corn. I've seen where they stuffed alfalfa into their dens. Id say he was at least 60lbs.
 
That's a big one. we should of weighed him. Here in Kansas they eat corn. I've seen where they stuffed alfalfa into their dens. Id say he was at least 60lbs.
I was at Cheyenne Bottoms KS a number of years ago and thought I saw a whitetail doe standing in a slough with its head in the water, and when it turned sideways I realized what it really was, biggest one I've ever seen. Silly anecdote but I was impressed with it's size.
Back on track, meat is limited for purchasing at stores in Cincinnati but stores seem OK on meat supplies as of today. My son in law is a salesman for a food importer, he mentioned a large number of butcher shops he sells to were told by their processors this week not to expect deliveries of pork or beef, maybe chicken. Unknown on future deliveries at this point. Also sounded as though seafood availability was decreasing but no reasons why. I could understand some of the farmed seafood from southeast Asia. Just speculation on my part.
 

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