In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options
Pork market nosedive
pulsarnc
Member Posts: 6,259 ✭✭✭✭
Maxwell Foods , the number 11 largest pork producer in the us announced today they will cease operations by June 2021 they employee about 150 contract growers in my area and have another thousand or so employees o their company owned farms . Going to be a major economic hit here .
cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war.....
Comments
Company claims covid related issues as to reason for closure . I suspect the real reason is the processor, Smithfield Foods is squeezing them out . Maxwell has to contract with Smithfield for processing . Currently epa and environmental regulations make it almost impossible to obtain permits for a new processing plant The Smithfield sale to the China should have been stopped due to monopoly concerns but Obama admin let it slide
Ah, Sooooo
I wish bacon prices were lower likre a pork roast or shoulder.
All the small custom butchers around here have stopped taking bookings until at least the first of the year huge backlog of orders .
This is a bubble. Once it pops the demand will leave.
Since I left that life behind over 30 years ago I am somewhat confused as to why there is so much problem getting a hog or beef processed. Are there some type of government regulations now that I don't know about?? I know if I was physically able to do it now I know I still could do it. I wish I had a place where I could butcher a hog. I would love to teach my son. One of those skills that could possibly be important to know in the future.
one limiting factor is the need to have a usda inspector on site during the processing . Not enough inspectors to fill all the vacancies . Slows things down . Throw in the epa regulation and the local health Dept regs and it become a nightmare real quick to try to set up s business
for those of us who are adept at butchering and processing our own deer we could do a cow . Tools and equipment just needs to be scaled up somewhat
I doubt if butchers will ever really come back, butchering beef or hog is an art into it self. A cow is a big animal, you have to have the equipment to move it around and process it properly, even after you have cut it in half your still maybe talking 500 pounds.
for those of us who are adept at butchering and processing our own deer we could do a cow . Tools and equipment just needs to be scaled up somewhat
Right: but some people are just lazy.
I know several deer hunters that take their deer to be processed. Waste of money and time and I think most generally they do not even get the same animals meat that they took to the processor and some of the meat is contaminated with hair and bloodshot meat.
I've butchered lots of animals, even big animals. Just get er dun.
You can even butcher a large animal on the ground, don't have to be hanging up in the air.
But again now days if peoples electric can opener loses power or breaks they will starve to death.They also think the meat growed in the can.
If you want to see how weak minded people are and see something funny, go into a wal-mart and ask where the eggs are, then ask a employee where the rooster eggs are located and ask them to help you find them. I've seen them go look then go ask others. I then sneak off while they are looking.
Haven't seen pork butt for .99 cents since last year. Typically they're $1.49 (on "sale") or $1.99 a pound.
As for obama "allowing" the sale what does he care he's a Muslim.
bustedknee - As for the way you use "Ah, Sooooo" is racist and wrong race at that.
I blame epa/fda and big butcher. They're basically in cahoots.
There are how to butcher hogs in your backyard by guys on youtube like stoney ridge farms, Justin Rhode and others. It's a big job. I could do a weaner (as I like to call "personal size" at one time in my life I could've ate one over the weekend) to something under 200 pounds. My issue is freezer space.
But how do I make money on the current situation?
Is there an investment to be made?
Drop a couple million on a new small packing plant, book orders out for the next year and hope you can sell the business before this "pandemic" ends.
bustedknee - With the green font no where to be found it's hard to bust folk's chops. Just funning at you.
With AG department yielding to the granola munchers about humane "free ranging" chicken for egg production meat will be going up.
Having a big and deep enough scalding tank is one of the harder thing to have to do a big hog. Most folks around there for wild pig they just skin them. Figure they're less than 100 pounds? No Hogzillas in these woods. Hell most'll just take the legs and call it a day.
As a young lad I worked summers on the Wasik farm. I can't remember the exact process but it went something like this. Shoot, scald, drain the blood into bucket and then us kids would scrape the hair off with a circular looking razor tool. They would then make blood pudding. Everything but the squeal.
About all I remember is that it was the coldest day of the year and the only heat was from the giant cast iron pot heater he made to heat the lard and cook the cracklins.
I would nearly freeze waiting for the fresh cracklins.
I've butchered a few in the last 10 years.
Skin, pull the loins and ribs, the rest for whole hog sausage.