As the United States’ meat supply chain wavered during COVID-19, cattle prices came down and feed lots swelled to capacity. Ranchers looked to small- and medium-sized processors to harvest their animals, but across the country, these businesses were in short supply. Many who had a two- to three-month wait before the pandemic, now have more than an eight-month wait. In some locations nationwide, including in western Kansas and Alabama, the wait to process an animal is more than one year. Some state agencies and legislators in Washington are trying to figure out how to help the supply chain. “No state has enough slaughter and processing plants for what the current market demands are,” said Christopher Young, executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors. “It’s an ongoing situation we need to rectify.”
(Read more: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal)
