Meat Processing, Supply, and COVID-19

K-State livestock economists Ted Schroeder and Glynn Tonsor take a close look at the state of the beef packing industry, which is under extreme duress from the closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak: specifically, they respond to questions that have arisen about the structure of the packing sector, and whether packer concentration is contributing to the interruption in overall meat supply flow. They also comment on how the disruptions relate to market price discovery as it affects livestock sellers.