Meat packers

For cattle producers across Oregon, one of the biggest challenges to overcome currently is the lack of meat inspection or procession options across the state.  However, a bipartisan bill approved in last year’s legislative session looks to address that. Ho ...

As the Ag community moves past the struggles and difficulties of 2020, the question of what the future holds in store becomes more and more important. Tom Sharp, President of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, said one of the chief issues the livestock industry will want addressed in 2021 and further down the road, the monopolistic actions by the few packing companies that remain. He ... Read

A new analysis of independent data for 2020 shows that new COVID-19 infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers were five times lower in December than in May. Meanwhile, rates in the general population rocketed up nine times in the same period ...

A new analysis of independent data for November shows that reported new COVID-19 infection rates among meat and poultry workers were more than eight times lower than the general population. Data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network says the meat and poultry sector reported an average of 5 ...

To help the meat processors across the state, many of which are relatively small in size, the Washington state Department of Agriculture has made pandemic relief grants available. The funds will go to help address expenses associated with improving capacity during the coronavirus pandemic ...

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released its proposal over the weekend for voluntary cattle market price discovery. In a letter to NCBA members, NCBA President Marty Smith said the proposal "lays out a plan to increase negotiated trade and incentivize each of the major packers' participation in such negotiated trade." ...

The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank says COVID-19 has created substantial challenges for all segments of the meat supply chain, but especially for producers and consumers. Beginning in April 2020, outbreaks of COVID-19 at meatpacking plants led to significant disruptions and created issues of oversupply and low prices for livestock producers ...

Last week, USDA released an update on its investigation of cattle markets. American Farm Bureau Federation Congressional Relations Director Scott Bennett said the report is looking at market price disparities. “In the report, USDA outlines exactly what has happened in the volatile cattle markets since the Holcomb fire in August of 2019, and the volatilities due to COVID-19. In a ...

The Justice Department is formally demanding information from the four biggest meatpackers in the United States, over potential antitrust violations. According to Bloomberg, the DOJ’s antitrust division sent civil investigative demands, which are akin to subpoenas, to the companies…and is talking with state attorneys general about the probe after growing calls for an in-depth investigation. Cur

The Department of Agriculture says U.S. meatpacking facilities are operating at more than 95% of average capacity when compared to 2019. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue applauded the data, attributing the operations to the safe reopening of the facilities ...