One of the far-downstream consequences of the Current Situation that probably not too many people thought about when this started. My habit of cruising the remaindered meat aisle and freezing any good deals I find should serve me well. But, honestly, if meat costs a little more…so what? It’s not a problem for me. And, really, this is true of everything. No matter what it is…from caviar to plutonium to machine guns…it’s always available, it’s just expensive. If beef jumps a dollar a pound..:::shrug::: I can deal with it.
Of course, prices go up when supply is low. I can adjust. It’s when the product is completely unavailable…thats the problem. I’ve got a pretty goodly supply of animal flesh sitting in the freezer but thats very much an ‘eggs in one basket’ kind of thing. That freezer craps out on me, I lose a good 85% or so of mt supply of meat. Oh, I have the resources on hand to can it all if something like that happened, but I think that perhaps having more than one freezer should be the way to go. I’ve the generator to run them in case of a power failure, and should the power failure last longer than my generator can support, that still buys me time to can it all.
I’d been picking up more canned meats from CostCo these last two months….chicken and beef mostly. I’ve talked about the CostCo canned roast beef before and I highly recommend it. Canned chicken is canned chicken…it’s all pretty much the same. In addition to the canned meats I’ve a couple cases of Mountain House freeze dried pork chops, diced chicken, diced beef, and ground beef. And, yes, I am aware of canned bacon but I’m just not a huge bacon guy…I like bacon, but I can live without it.
Being the jaded survivalist, I wonder how much of this meat panic is genuine and how much of it is a self-fulfilling prophecy brought about by the media. Thus far, for me, in my locale, I haven’t seen any real change in pricing or availability but then again perhaps it takes a while for these effects to trickle down to flyover country. I’ll continue to buy my meat trays once a week and just keep working the vacuum sealer. A full freezer is never a bad idea, really, anyway.
Here in the Midwest, suburban town to mid-sized city, the meat aisle yesterday was as full as ever. Every possible beef, chicken and pork option was available, including packaged brats, italians, polish etc sausage. There’s also canned hams still in the meat aisle. Someone likes Bacon though, as there was probably half the usual quantity available but still plenty there.
The news of a meat shortage seems overblown, at least as of now.
We had stocked both freezers well before the run on TP. Thankfully we also took an extra doe last fall. Well put that a full freezer is never a bad idea, in any times.
North East Florida Costco meat missing almost all pork very small number of packs of Ground Beef, a 3 pack total on ALL meats minus fish per shopper. More than half the meat coolers were filled with Fruits. We’re stocked and Locked because we are able to buy when there is a sale or in this case Need. Be well Brothers.
Never heard of the movie “Soylent Green” and had to look it up , made in 1973 and is set in New York City in the year 2022.
The book the movie came from is Make Room, Make Room by Harry Harrison and is quite good.
Send in the Scoops!
I remember watching that movie when it came out on network tv (like tv today but with only 2 channels, 3 if you were lucky) on a black and white tv…
Exactly how they did it in 2003 at the anti-Iraq invasion protest in Chicago.
Been 50% with out of date meat,got some reduced to $.99,others refused to sell (maybe took for themselves?). Had a deal on $.59 hams stocked up and took several to friends.
In kansas meat is cheaper then ever, maybe its a distribution issue.
wonder if “we the people” get hungry enough, will they take to cattle rustling or pouching.
Anyone who is too lazy and unmotivated to stockpile food when they’ve been warned is probably too stupid and lazy to be an effective cattle thief.
Perhaps so, but enterprising criminals have always found a market among the stupid, lazy, and unprepared.
The stupid and lazy just have to be smart enough to find the black market.
The is an overabundance of cows, pigs, and chickens. The food supply chain is breaking down at the processor and packaging stage. Ranchers and farmers in some situations wouldn’t mind just giving away the animals to would-be rustlers. It saves the farmer the time and expense of euthanizing them.
Soylent Green IS people…….
Southern Middle TN – small-town America: was a meat shortage at the local grocery about two weeks ago. Now, there is a bit more available, but with restrictions. Only two items of meat per customer. There is hamburger now, but only two packs per customer.
There are notices posted at the meat counter that prices will go up without notice. There has been some small increases so far.
Our freezer is full. Home canned meats on the shelf. Some freeze dried on the shelves. We’re good for now.
One stab at an explanation from my neck of the woods…
https://www.al.com/coronavirus/2020/05/the-problem-with-meat-why-youll-be-paying-more-for-beef-and-pork.html
Regards
The advantage of bacon (besides the flavor) is the amount of calories it packs. Yes, there is a significant amount of fat, but that fat is what gives you the calories. Take a look at the amount of calories in that canned chicken. How much physical labor can you perform given the amount of calories per serving?
Yoder’s canned bacon is actually produced for them by Werling and Sons canned meats. You can buy it direct from them only by going to their Burkettsville OH store due to a contract clause, however it’s a major price savings if you do. I think I was quoted $9.00 a can a year ago when I inquired.Good for folks in the driving region.
Regards
It’s not just meat. Try and find Bread flour! AP flour is out there but sparse selection. Costco, had five bags left on the pallet when I went there this week.
So I checked Costco on line, their canned Roast Beef is out of stock. The wife and I have been buying beef and pork and pressure canning it for longer term storage. We used some last night in a Tamale pie. The best way to rotate stores is to use them.
Try the Dollar General’s Clover Valley RB. That’s what I buy since our store selection is limited. Lot more meat in it than WM’s.
Regards
Here in central SC there was a little mini-run on ground beef and pork sausage when the media was really pumping the processing plant issues. Now there is anything and everything in the meat department in the two stores I frequent.
I am sympathetic, but don’t buy into the freak outs in the doomasphere that this is the big one and our favorite post apocalyptic novel is almost here. It has mostly been a series of minor inconveniences for most of us and rants about being asked to modify behavior. Reminds me of when Jimmy Carter asked us all to drive 55 on the interstate.
Anyway, food prices going up should be expected at any time (weather, trade wars, salmonella outbreak). I over-budget for food expecting that will happen.
Here in upstate NY, the grocery stores’ meat sections still look pretty good, as long as you don’t look to close. But prices have definitely gone up since this started, and not by just a few cents either. We’re talking a difference of $3 per pound.
The wholesaler I occasionally order from is having trouble getting meats in. This is NOT an encouraging sign.
I got caught flat-footed by this whole thing & don’t have a full freezer. Plenty of canned meat, tho – both store-bought & home-canned. Went to the store yesterday & got “on sale” rib eye for my birthday feast – plenty there, but the sale price is what used to be the normal price.
Wife went to Walmart two days ago. They have a Burger King in the store. She thought she would be nice and get me a whopper. After the girl rang her up, the girl went around the counter into Walmart. She comes back with ground beef and tells my wife it will be a few minutes we ran out of ground beef. My wife proceeds to watch them make my whopper with the ground beef she just bought.
There’s ground beef in a Whopper???
n
Here in the Willamette Valley, meats are limited to 2 packages. So, the family packs are what I get. Divvy things up and shrink wrap for the freezer. Haven’t really noticed any price increases for beef, pork, chicken or fish.
The local Bi Marts have some really good deals on canned meats. 2 pound canned hams for $2.99 on sale with a couple year expiry date.
The low gas/diesel prices are pretty neat. $2.29/$2.49 cash price.
You’re paying 2.29 a gallon, dang the local Kroger here in Texas is 1.39 and Costco in 1.18.
We keep the freezer full, but we often pull some out and pressure can it. We just ate chicken canned in 2014 bone in. Made chicken spaghetti. Canned it does not do well due to texture on its own, but in casseroles and such it is fine. Couple days ago ate ham canned in 2013 in mac and cheese. It was filling and good. Energy is cheap and plentiful now. If SHTF perhaps not so much. I like having precooked things that only require a heat up.
Another update, real dichotomy in pricing starting to occur. The local chain grocer here in town (the only one aside from WM), had an advertised sale on T-Bones @$4.99 a pound. That’s a pretty good price so since I needed some fresh produce anyway (theirs is MUCH better than WM’s) I decided to pick some up. They’re packed in family sized packs of 3 – 5 pounds each and there’s a limit on beef for 2 per so I got 2 of the biggest packs – almost 10 pounds – figured I’d break them down and freeze.
Anyway, I’m back there already so I start looking at prices for the rest of the beef – Pretty bad… $15.98 pd for Bottom Round of all things! $7.98 pd for 75 – 25 ground beef, $18.98 pd for NY Strip, $15.98 pd for SHOULDER CLOD which most folks can’t figure out how to cook to begin with. Just stupid prices on beef. Pork and chicken remain stable pricewise and they’re selling my favorite local style all pork and beef red hot dogs for $2.00 each on sale (love those things in chili dogs). Guess the short loins must have been in cold storage for a while!
This market is near the project and is heavily frequented by the EBT types and some were having fit over the beef prices (gotta have their prime rib and roasts) and one old lady banged on the door to the butchers and complained loudly to them and was acting as if it was their fault that prices have gone up so much. I thought to myself “Boy, just wait till the other shoe drops and I’ll get to watch them loot the place and burn it down then whine about nowhere to shop”. The GF’s uncle said this was going to happen in a lot of places and it’s starting to occur right now.
I’ve already reserved a side from the operation when it’s market time (split a cow with a buddy) and the butcher at the small stockyard East of here is going to break it down for us after it’s slaughtered. That should last us till late next year. Don’t know what’s going to happen in the rest of the country but for us it looks as though beef prices will skyrocket while pork and chicken stay stable.
Regards
Western Iowa.
We buy a processed half beef from a local locker and split it among the family.
As of early May 2020, we are on the list for March 2021.
Peter is spot on. That’s the issue. It’s now trickling down to the smaller, more local processors. There was a time you could have an animal processed within a couple weeks, now you are lucky if it can be done prior to fall.