Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

There is a report that one of the "Smithfield" plants has had a huge outbreak of the corona virus in the workers and has been shut down. Remember, "Smithfield" was bought out by a chinese conglomerate several years ago.

It was. And let me tell you, many people were angry & amazed by it all. Of course, people still needed their jobs. I'm about 30-35 miles from there. Haven't heard about a closure but -- I'll ask around.

Those chicken processors on Eastern Shore are packed house!
Uhhh…..be sure you cook your pork chicken well!

 

[rachels.haven]

Ah. So the supply change is very, very broken down right now, to put it simply, on multiple fronts due largely in part to a lack of workers who would be exposed to risk. I think I assumed things were more automated than they are. I guess milk isn't automotive manufacturing, lol (duh).

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses from what I have been able to find out, it is the Sioux City, SD plant that has over 80 confirmed cases, one of the "hot spots" there. Over 3500 employed at that one plant. But I also heard that they haven't closed it as was previously reported, so who knows.

Yes @rachels.haven , it is quite automated, but still milk plants are set up to process certain things. Not as automated as auto manufacturing, but to change a whole line is still an undertaking and expensive..... plus realize that just getting parts to do so is not like snapping your fingers.... wish it was as easy as "I Dream of Jeannie" with a nod of the head. And even the pasteurizing takes a certain amount of time and that cannot be rushed so they can only process so much in a 24 hour period. There's alot to it that most people just don't realize because they have not had an exposure to it.

It's that way even in the beef slaughter plants..... some cannot handle large carcasses. One of the reasons why there are fewer places that will do holstein steers. The size of a good finished holstein steer is often 1800-2200 lbs. That is to get the full growth of the animal, then it has to put on an acceptable amount of fat in order for the meat to have the right percentage of "marbling" in the meat. That means that the carcasses that will go into the cutting floor will hang at 1100 or more lbs. The whole system has to be made to handle those kinds of weights. The chains they hang from has to be able to take that amount of weight, the rails they ride along have to be able to keep them above the floor so as to not allow the meat to touch the floor and get contaminated.....the people that work up the carcasses have to be able to stand up on steps/or whatever so that they can cut the carcass. And no, there just isn't any machinery that can do all that properly so it is still people doing it. It is a moving and flexible product you are dealing with. If it isn't in exactly the right position, cutting could mean ruining the amount of cut out of a carcass which is lost money....
This is one of the reasons that they are trying to get our beef animals to be "UNIFORM" sizes and shapes. Like the cornish/rock chickens that are bred to gain as fast as possible.... and they are supposed to reach a certain weight by a certain age.... uniformity in the kill plants for working them up. That is why there are "left behinds" that I get from one of the poultry houses.... they do not fit the system. When you go to KFC you don't want a box with 2 chicken legs that are the size of pencils and the next box to have 2 that are the size of 16 oz soda bottles. Uniformity is what this country has strived for in our food system. It is the most economical. And I get it in many ways. But that is why we are losing some of the genetic diversity, because it doesn't fit the "mold" so to speak.

 

[Mike CHS]

I'm at the point that I will only eat what I raise.

 

[Baymule]

I'm at the point that I will only eat what I raise.

Even living in the middle of town, I raised our chicken. Moving to the farm unleashed the "grow your own" in me. Chicken, pork, lamb-no cows. I wouldn't mind raising a steer, but I really don't have room. It's hard to beat a good rib eye steak. That's the only beef I buy. We just finished off a half a beef we bought from friends. Guess we need another.

 

[Mike CHS]

I guess I wasn't being totally true. We won't be buying beef for quite awhile but we have several friends that sell beef off of the farm so it is more accurate to say that I won't be buying from a store that I don't know where the meat comes from.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

We are butchering our feeder pig this week...snow all week..perfect time to butcher and hang him from the car lift. He could go about two more weeks, but then we run the risk of it being warmer and having to deal with all the extra trouble. Once again, Chris is very attached to this pig, Slim Jim. It won’t be easy for him..but we plan to take all the advice w3 got before, about com8n* to terms, and saying a thanksgiving prayer for the nourishments for our bodies. Sure hope she tastes bette4 than th3 last old guy...poor Chris has been eating all himself..as I can’t ge5 by the taint.

 

[farmerjan]

43 to start with sun early, now getting alot of clouds ahead of the rain working it's way here from the south and west. Supposed to have heavy rain and wind, thunder, all that. Flooding watch for areas a little more towards the southwest part of the state. Getting ready to get my stuff in the truck and unload the meters and put covers on the totes they are in. Want to get the chickens fed and watered so don't have to do that in the wet tomorrow. I hope to put the cooler chest on the truck and maybe go get milk on the way home this evening; it's a little bit of a swing but I will be out so maybe. See how the ankle feels.
Hope everyone has as good an Easter as possible considering the situation.

 

[Mike CHS]

You do have an amazing amount of rain heading your way. The east side should be over you before the last of it get past us.

 

[farmerjan]

How much rain have you gotten @Mike CHS ???? It started raining here late afternoon. At the farm about 7 p.m. but probably about an hour earlier at the house since it is further sw by about 30-40 miles. My son said it had been raining for a bit when I talked to him on the way home from testing, and it had only started there after we went in the house to do the computer work at about 6:30. Only a little bit wet when I came out at about 7-7:15 but was a steady light rain all the way home. There was some water in the low spots on the dirt road when I was almost home, so could tell there had been more here. It is now raining pretty steady, not real hard.... but they say we are going to get 1-3 " overnight.
I did not stop to get milk on the way home due to the rain, just wanted to get home and get in before it started to really come down.
Forecasts show some strong winds after 10 p.m. tonight, lasting into tomorrow even after the rain moves off. The front seems to be staying a little more south as it moves to the east, with significant water and wind closer to the NC/VA border then expanding up into the central part. Sometimes the Shenandoah valley here will get "spared" some of the worst of the weather.... as often the storms will stay a bit south then expand up along the Blue Ridge mountains along the eastern side as weather patterns move east.
Looks like @Mini Horses is going to get some serious stuff too, more into Monday as it leaves this area.....