It’s hitting the fan, folks.
Mega-processor Tyson Foods said in a full-page ad they placed in The New York Times the “food supply chain is breaking” and a “limited supply” of their food products will be available in grocery stores until they can reopen facilities that are closing due to COVID-19, according to Time magazine.
Forbes magazine published an article this morning stating farmers all over the country are facing the eventual depopulation of their chickens and pigs, (which means they will be slaughtered and dumped) and we’ve all heard the stories of dairy farms dumping milk.
Bloomberg News reported today that President Trump is expected to issue an executive order under the Defense Production Act to keep processing facilities open during the pandemic. With only a few companies making up the majority of the country’s ability to process meat, small local facilities with ample room for safety for workers and the humane treatment of animals is a must.
We cannot even begin to express our sorrow at the destroyed lives, livelihoods and food product going to waste because of our dependence on conglomerations to supply our food; and our frustration at being stymied at our proposal to supply our local food producers a safe, well-regulated and humane processing facility here in the Carson Valley.
We do not want this for Douglas County!
Support for a facility like ours is abundant and on record from the planning commission and BOCC meetings, as long as people agree on the location.
It is time for us all to put our money where our mouths are and come together as a community to ensure we will be able to feed ourselves.
We need a facility that will help our ranchers continue to raise animals for food, and for our community to be able to purchase USDA regulated meat. We are asking for community feedback on viable locations that will support our facility, meet the wishes of our neighbors, and expedite construction so that we can bring food security home to Douglas County.
We will be issuing an invitation to our BOCC and our BOCC candidates to come together with us to discuss the best way forward for our ranchers, farmers and community. Watch for information on a public forum coming soon.