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Beef supply in a post-COVID world
Meat processors, distributors, and retailers are working to build stocks in the supply chains in hopes of preventing another round of empty grocery store shelves.
Don Close is with Rabo AgriFinance says the industry needs to move on from a just-in-time delivery system. “We need to take what steps are necessary to extend shelf-life of product to build an inventory of product post-harvest that we could avoid that empty shelf situation in the future,” he says.
He tells Brownfield addressing the ongoing labor shortages are one of the first steps that need to be taken. “We need to increase the level of automation,” he says. “I’m not going so far to say full-tilt robotics. The measures we are talking about at this time are not necessarily replacing labor, but will enable labor to be more efficient.”
He says the industry also needs to incorporate new technology that helps extend shelf life of beef, incorporating sustainability requirements, and a massive overhauling of today’s transportation system.
Brownfield interviewed Close at the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention in Houston.
AUDIO: Don Close, Rabo AgriFinance