![]() Of the 650 farmers responding, 85% reported that demand for their products had increased, but 81% could not meet this increased demand because of inadequate processing capacity. ![]() ![]() In July 2020, the Cornell Small Farms Program surveyed NYS livestock producers about the impacts of COVID-19 on their businesses. As a result panicked livestock producers were scrambling to provide for their customers. Many reported having hundreds of names on a waiting list and telling their farmer customers they could not accept new bookings through 2021. The increase in local meat sales resulted in increased need for the services offered by the small processors, who could not accommodate the surge. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in demand for local meat. This demand was mirrored by a 2017 Cornell Small Farms Program poll where 85% of livestock producers surveyed believed that the NYS livestock sector had potential for growth. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic this industry already showed potential for growth, as demand 2for local products had been on the rise for several years. According to a 2014 analysis on the economic impact of agriculture, the non-dairy livestock industry contributes $893 million in sales to the economy, and an extensive and diverse range of products to local and regional markets. The livestock industry provides value to the NYS economy. Together with grant funding for processors, these investments would build a more robust local food supply chain, one that is better equipped to overcome COVID-19-like shocks to our food system. In addition to accessible grant funding for meat processors, additional efforts would be needed to increase the supply of NYS-raised meat, including: 1) a staff position(s) to provide technical and logistical assistance to new and existing processors and farmers, 2) defined pathways to employment as a meat cutter, 3) more value-added processing facilities, and 4) investment in creating and maintaining an updated directory of all meat processing facilities that serve farmers in NYS. Of the Custom Exempt processors, 31.6% would be interested in transitioning to USDA especially if funding was made available (20.3% without funding), and 59.1% of USDA processors would be interested in increasing capacity if funding was made available (54.6% without funding). The results of the survey showed that there is interest by processors in increasing capacity. To meet this goal a survey was developed and administered via one-on-one interviews to 112 USDA, Custom Exempt, and 5A processors over the course of 6 months from Oct 2020 to Feb 2021. ![]() ![]() This study was developed to clarify challenges, specifically barriers to increasing processing capacity in NYS. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the weaknesses in the current NYS livestock supply chain, especially the bottleneck of meat processing. The livestock industry provides value to NYS by contributing approximately $893M in sales to the economy and supplies nutrient-dense food for local consumers. tatiana Stanton, Erica Frenay A team of Cornell faculty and Cooperative Extension educators interviewed meat processors in NYS during the COVID pandemic to better understand where there are opportunities to increase capacity and improve the resilience of our local meat industry. Mike Baker, Dana Havas, Nancy Glazier, Lynn Bliven, Dr. ![]()
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