Supply chain issues

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Lot's of reasons for the supply chain issues which quite a few have already been mentioned. We haven't really changed our eating/ buying habits... have enough freezers that we have plenty of food but still watch for sales. Recently bought a whole ny strip loin and a porterhouse/tbone loin each for $7.99 lb. Chicken legs/hindquarters go on sale for less than $1 lb, and pork butts for 99 cents a lb.
Didn't really like contracting propane for $1.75 gallon when usually it's under $1 gallon, but not too many years ago it went to over $5 gallon. Can hope it will improve soon but think we all know that's not gonna happen!
Pass me one of those $14 margaritas please! :emoji_blush:

Ryan
 
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Being one of only four companies in a multi-billion dollar industry(/cartel) lets you get away with writing your own rules: meat-packing (humor quality aside, this show is notable for their depth and breadth of research), chicken-processing, accounting, even elevators (what is it with groups of four?). That means, even when a Great Resignation hits you (even more than other industries, justifiably), you can still pass on costs - including lobbying - to customers while preserving record profits for your owners and outright abusing your factory workers and contract farmers.

Fun fact: Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel, The Jungle, included lurid descriptions of horrors in the meatpacking industry to promote fundamentally changing the labor system, out of empathy for the workers. Instead, it motivated sweeping new federal food safety laws. "I aimed at the public's heart," Sinclair said, "and by accident I hit it in the stomach."
 
Being one of only four companies in a multi-billion dollar industry(/cartel) lets you get away with writing your own rules: meat-packing (humor quality aside, this show is notable for their depth and breadth of research), chicken-processing, accounting, even elevators (what is it with groups of four?). That means, even when a Great Resignation hits you (even more than other industries, justifiably), you can still pass on costs - including lobbying - to customers while preserving record profits for your owners and outright abusing your factory workers and contract farmers.

Fun fact: Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel, The Jungle, included lurid descriptions of horrors in the meatpacking industry to promote fundamentally changing the labor system, out of empathy for the workers. Instead, it motivated sweeping new federal food safety laws. "I aimed at the public's heart," Sinclair said, "and by accident I hit it in the stomach."
That was an interesting book. Most people then, like now, don't think about what it takes to slaughter and process massive quantities of meat.
 
That was an interesting book. Most people then, like now, don't think about what it takes to slaughter and process massive quantities of meat.

...slaughter and process massive quantities of meat cheaply.

I, for one, am glad that rat content (and rotten-meat content and not-meat content) as a percentage has gone down significantly, but I still welcome further improvement.
 
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T&T, Deer season is in full swing up here in northern New England, Bow and muzzleloader seasons followed by rifle. I'll fill my freezer with healthy venison to ride out this inflation.
 
... Most people then, like now, don't think about what it takes to slaughter and process massive quantities of meat.
When I was a little boy about 50% of hunting and fishing took place in the field or waterway. The other 50% was all about field dressing, handling and butchering. Icing down fish was a no brainer and they don't need that much room to prepare for canning or freezing. Wild game on the other hand does, and for years we did it at home. Flash forward and I bet there are 15 custom processors in a 50 mile radius where you drop off a carcass and pick it up a week or 10 days later. I know 5 or 6 guys with small walk-in coolers that have a refrigeration unit and thermostat.... something I never even dreamed about 20 years ago.

T&T, Deer season is in full swing up here in northern New England, Bow and muzzleloader seasons followed by rifle. I'll fill my freezer with healthy venison to ride out this inflation.
There is an 'enjoyment factor' that all hunters and fisherman (that keep fish) must sort of write off as the cost of a hobby. I've seen various cost estimates but a 7-day elk trip for example is very expensive with licenses, fuel, camper trailer, food, snowmobiles, horses, ammunition, beer not to mention all the gear you accumulate over the years. By the time an elk hits the freezer it's probably $30/lb. A single day of trout fishing comes out $15 or $20 per fish. I could save tons of money shopping at Sam's Club..... but there is no fun in that.

A friend that is retired and his 30 something year old son are camped in the Bighorn Mountains for 16 days. They have 2 elk tags and 2 deer tags. The price of this kind of trip is priceless.
 
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I am seriously looking for another hog to slaughter this fall/winter...
If the situation in Louisiana is anything like it is in Kentucky, good luck finding a slaughterhouse with an available kill date until next year, unless you're going to process your own, or buy from a farm that does their own processing. I ended up letting a lame bull calf go at the stockyard for 30 cents a pound because I couldn't get a date to process it for my own freezer in a reasonable amount of time.
 
We process all our own deer, and I know how to process pigs. I did one back in February. The guy I will be buying from is a good friend that does on site butchering and processing, a niche market, and he has been slammed since Covid hit and the big processors shut down or are backed up. I'll be helping him Butcher...or if he is still backed up, I'll do it myself while I'm up there.
 
We process all our own deer, and I know how to process pigs. I did one back in February. The guy I will be buying from is a good friend that does on site butchering and processing, a niche market, and he has been slammed since Covid hit and the big processors shut down or are backed up. I'll be helping him Butcher...or if he is still backed up, I'll do it myself while I'm up there.
Been crazy around since covid. There is normally a slowdown during deer season since the processors shut down normal operations per USDA regulations to process deer, but I have never seen them this slammed. I reckon a ton of people have decided to buy their own beef to have processed over the scare of shortages.
 
Prices out here in CA while already insane have gone through the roof. Nothing has been crazy except for the last month. Walmart is charging $20/lb for ribeye and it's not even good ribeye. But nothing out here is changing anytime soon. Spare ribs and st Louis cut Smithfields jumped from 1.99/lb to over 4.50/lb in the last week. They're asking over 5.50/lb for baby backs. Luckily we have a freezer full of meat we stocked up on alreadt. Meat to us is like ammo, buy it cheap and stack it deep.
Haven't noticed anybody slowing down on their meat purchases around here though. Doesn't help that CA is giving every school age kid $700 to spend on food regardless of whether they need it or not. I guess it helps make up for the $5 gas:emoji_face_palm::emoji_face_palm:
 
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I bought a prime brisket at Costco business center for $5.19 a pound and a pork belly and pork loin. When I got there I found 2 left. One was the thinnest flat I have ever seen and the second was nice but needed major trimming. I asked the guy working if there were any more and he said they had one more box. Found a nice 15 pounder. He remembered me from a previous trip when they were out and said 2 weeks ago they were overstocked and blew them out at $2.99/lb. I gave him my number if it happens again. They were overloaded with tri-tip at $3.99/lb which was tempting but I promised to bring a brisket next week.
 
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