Meat Industry Impacted by Pandemic

KIMT News 3's Isabella Basco is taking a closer look at some busy local butcher shops

Sore throat are the new additions./// minnesota's meat processing capacity has taken a big hit as slaughterhous es temporarily shutdown due to workers sick with covi?

19.

Kimt news three's isabella basco joins us live to show us how busy meat lockers are getting and what you need to know about the meat supply in southern minnesota.

Isabella?

One meat market in spring valley says they are booked solid until july if you want to get an animal slaughtered.

But the owner of this shop?

Ye olde butcher shoppe?

In rochester says?

There are things you can do to feed your family if you can't wait that long.

Xxx this market served 6?70 people a week?

Now the shope is seeing upwards of 200 people.

"meat supply is getting tighter with slaughter packing plants closing down."

Koebke a butcher but also a farmer encourages consumers to buy straight from the farm.

"farming is very tough for everybody right now, the prices are very low, nobody's making any money, the box prices are extremely high, so nobody's making money but it's definitely not the farmer."

But ye olde butcher shoppe owner terry timm says there are things to keep in mind if you want to buy a whole animal.

"when you buy a whole animal, a lot of times, it's cut different from what you'll see in a store like this, it's cut probably different than what you are going to see in a store like this, there's going to be more bone and more waist in it by far, you're going to carry a lot more stuff than you might not eat."

While running his busy butcher shop, timm has watched prices soar.

"in the last 2 weeks, we've seen some of the pork cuts that went up a dollar a ody's country meats tells me since the pandemic started... he's trying to keep the prices as low as he can.

He's already noticed a huge increase in credit card sales compared to cash.

Live in rochester?

Isabella basco?

Kimt news 3./// thank you isabella.

Minnesota agriculture commissioner thom petersen says minnesota's food supply is stable thanks to a good amount of product in stores and in storage... but there will be occasional disruptions in the supply chain.///