sheep_herder ★ Posted September 28, 2020 Share #1 Posted September 28, 2020 I haven't gathered that many here are hunters, so lack of meat processing facilities may not be a problem in your area. It has turned into a very big problem in our area. One local establishment has gone more commercial, providing meat to stores, etc. and is not processing game animals or local livestock butchering needs. If one calls other places now, there is a year or more wait on killing and processing. Seems like they all got together and processed the fair animals for the buyers, but not so much for regular folks. Luckily, I have killed and processed sheep and goats in the past, but not so much any more. Many process their game animals, but often use the processing plants for grinding meat. Now, there may be a run on meat grinders and vacuum packaging machines to take care of the short fall in processing plants. Locally they have seen the need, and have installed a meat processing program at the local community college with internships at different processing plants across the state. Just another sign of the times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted September 28, 2020 Share #2 Posted September 28, 2020 Had this conversation with a friend that got into raising beef and chickens for the freezer for the first time this year. He was checking a few months ago and the processors were booked out to January - February. It appeared to be a COVID thing. He is confident in doing a bunch of chickens this fall but would really like to but some beef in the freezer before winter. Not happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted September 28, 2020 Share #3 Posted September 28, 2020 This is a big issue here for deer hunters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted September 28, 2020 Share #4 Posted September 28, 2020 IF HoSmudge decides to take a deer this fall, he can process it. As far as deer go, many people have been looking for facilities that guarantee hunters get their harvested meat. Places are taking in a whole deer and giving back some venison.... don't know who's deer kill you're getting. Nope. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted September 28, 2020 Share #5 Posted September 28, 2020 Is this a general market change, or Covid related changes? If some of the larger plants were closed or operating shortened schedules, companies could turn to the smaller plants which normally handled smaller orders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheep_herder ★ Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share #6 Posted September 28, 2020 3 minutes ago, Kirby said: Is this a general market change, or Covid related changes? If some of the larger plants were closed or operating shortened schedules, companies could turn to the smaller plants which normally handled smaller orders. We really do not have any of the larger plants in our region. Most towns have one or more processing plants, but not all are USDA inspected, which affects the potential to sell the processed meat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted September 28, 2020 Share #7 Posted September 28, 2020 "I haven't gathered that many here are hunters, so lack of meat processing facilities may not be a problem in your area." Deer and bear have been overrunning Maryland and Northern Virginia in the 2000's and hunting seasons have been expanded and encouraged - including bow hunting on the property of Fort Meade. So there's lots of hunting going on, but I haven't heard of any facility problems. My brother and brother-in-law hunt deer. I haven't done so for decades and was only doing rabbits and squirrels anyway. They drop the deer off at the facilities, get the chunks packaged, and I'm gifted a few pounds of venison which is all I need for a change of pace. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted September 28, 2020 Share #8 Posted September 28, 2020 Our area is still operating as normal. The regular slaughter houses and butchers can be quite pricy. Cutting up meat is snot rocket surgery, anyone can do it. A lot of the Amish have a sign in their yard that they process deer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted September 28, 2020 Share #9 Posted September 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Longjohn said: snot rocket surgery But that sounds tricky! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisL Posted September 28, 2020 Share #10 Posted September 28, 2020 1 hour ago, MickinMD said: "I haven't gathered that many here are hunters, so lack of meat processing facilities may not be a problem in your area." Deer and bear have been overrunning Maryland and Northern Virginia in the 2000's and hunting seasons have been expanded and encouraged - including bow hunting on the property of Fort Meade. So there's lots of hunting going on, but I haven't heard of any facility problems. My brother and brother-in-law hunt deer. I haven't done so for decades and was only doing rabbits and squirrels anyway. They drop the deer off at the facilities, get the chunks packaged, and I'm gifted a few pounds of venison which is all I need for a change of pace. The area around Ft Belvoir was crawling with deer in the 80’s. The base was too small to allow hunting but it didn’t stop people from poaching on our back perimeter and rumor has it an MP or two had bagged a deer... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted September 28, 2020 Share #11 Posted September 28, 2020 Since covid hit ours have been very busy. A couple of dad's on Emmy's old team are farmers and have cows. We get a 1/2 beef every year from them. They have really had to work to find places to take the cattle. It was March and they were making December appointments. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted September 29, 2020 Share #12 Posted September 29, 2020 D2 works as a butcher in a meat processing plant, a small business that caters to wild game during hunting season and small farms the rest of the year. Big commercial farms go more to major centres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitepedal ★ Posted September 29, 2020 Share #13 Posted September 29, 2020 It is an issue in this area..but my coworker does his own deer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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