Where's the Beef?

I'm dating myself when I recall the old commercial "Where's the Beef" when Wendy's Hamburger Chain came out with it in 1983.  Where is the beef?  Who is in control?  I share these videos concerning the passion, the drive, the importance that American cattlemen and pork producers are going through right now during the Covid-19 pandemic.  It's too bad that it took a pandemic to raise the question about beef in our country, when it should have been raised long before this.

Loree Gaikowski here share's her passion with me in a Zoom conversation we had during our social distancing segment of our year 2020.  She has raised the question more times because she grew up and clearly understands what is happening to the small family farm and it's survival.  I, on the other hand, do not necessary have a grasp on it having grown up in the city where the meat I ate was found at a grocery store or a restaurant.  Now we cannot even say that when there is a shortage of beef. 

Cattle and pork producers are facing perhaps the biggest problems of their existence.  From my perspective it seems dire when 2-3 of the largest meat packing plants have shut down leaving thousands of farmers stranded and having to kill off their animals. 

• So what's happened to the many meat lockers that existed in our communities? 
• Who is getting the money if the local cattle producer is not? 
• Do we know if our beef is just packaged in the USA, or "from" the USA? 
• Does the meat being shipped into the USA from outside countries follow the same guidelines that USA beef does? 
• Does that same beef get shipped over from another country, stays in a feedlot for a bit and then gets to be labeled "American beef"?
• What is being done about it?  Or better yet what can we do about it? 
  

I know for one, I'm learning.  I have never paid attention to this issue before, nor did I know it was an issue.  Please listen to Lori here as she share's her passion and concern for our country, our farms, our problems surrounding this. If you so choose to help be part of the solution, get in touch with her and Anita Holan as stated in the videos.
Thank you.

Joan