Coronavirus and Ag

Kevin Rector reported on the front page of Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times that, “In less time than it takes a farmer to plant and harvest a head of lettuce, the nation’s entire food industry has been flipped on its head by the COVID-19 pandemic. An intricate system for matching supply with demand, established over decades, has been thrown out of whack just as unemployment and food insecurity are skyrocketing among families.”

Bloomberg writer Michael Hirtzer reported late last week that, “American beef output is down a lot more than plant closures would have you believe — a sign that slowdowns at facilities will continue to keep meat supplies tight even when some production lines reopen.”

Bloomberg’s Mike Dorning reported on Thursday that, “Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he expects meatpacking plants to reopen in “days not weeks” under President Donald Trump’s executive order invoking the Defense Production Act.”

Michael Corkery, David Yaffe-Bellany and Ana Swanson reported in Thursday’s New York Times that, “Ever since slaughterhouses became coronavirus hot spots, the meat industry has been asking the Trump administration for help.”

Financial Times writer Gregory Meyer reported this week that, “The largest US meat company has warned of shortages for consumers, saying the country’s complex food chain was ‘breaking’ as Covid-19 spreads to refrigerated packing plants.”

Bloomberg writers Michael Hirtzer and Tatiana Freitas reported recently that, “Plant shutdowns are leaving the U.S. dangerously close to meat shortages as coronavirus outbreaks now spread to suppliers across the Americas.”

Bloomberg writers Deena Shanker, Michael Hirtzer, Jen Skerritt, and Lydia Mulvany reported this week that, “The U.S. is edging closer to possible meat shortages with another major plant taken off line.”

The Financial Times reported this week that, “Governments and international institutions are becoming increasingly worried about the growing constraints on access to food around the world as coronavirus disrupts economies and leaves workers without income for sustenance.” 

Bloomberg writers Stephen Joyce, Michael Hirtzer, and Jen Skerritt reported this week that, “Hundreds of National Guard personnel are being activated in Iowa as coronavirus sweeps through meat-processing plants in a state that accounts for about a third of U.S. pork supply.”

Wall Street Journal writers Andrew Restuccia and Jesse Newman reported on Friday that, “President Trump announced a $19 billion relief program for the agriculture sector, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak, turning to a playbook the administration has used in its trade fight with China.”

New York Times writers Michael Corkery and David Yaffe-Bellany reported this week that, “The nation’s food supply chain is showing signs of strain, as increasing numbers of workers are falling ill with the coronavirus in meat processing plants, warehouses and grocery stores.”

DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported this week that, “An updated economic analysis looking at the impact of COVID-19 projects crop farmers to see $11.85 billion in lower revenue in 2020 and all livestock sectors combined to see a $20.24 billion drop in receipts for the year.”

The Associated Press reported this week that, “Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus — a step the head of the company warned could hurt the nation’s meat supply.”

Bloomberg’s Mike Dorning reported last week that, “President Donald Trump said he has asked his agriculture secretary to ‘use all of the funds and authorities at his disposal,’ to aid U.S. farmers, whose financial peril has worsened in the coronavirus pandemic.”

DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported this week that, “As meatpacking plants and other food processors reduce capacity or temporarily close because of coronavirus cases, Vice President Mike Pence pointed to the vital nature of the food industry and told those workers ‘to show up and do your job’ to keep grocery shelves stocked.”

Bloomberg writers Agnieszka de Sousa, Ruth Olurounbi, and Jen Skerritt reported on Monday that, “As the coronavirus pandemic penetrates more deeply into global supply chains, prices for key staples are starting to soar in some parts of the world.”