When the rest of the world shut down because of COVID-19, the cattlemen across Florida were doing business as usual.
“We are blessed to live and work on these ranches where we socially distance naturally,” said Jim Strickland, manager of Blackbeard’s Ranch.
Strickland said ranchers are fortunate to be able to continue their work and daily lives without the constraints other people have, but that does not mean taking the pandemic any less seriously. He said Blackbeard’s was expecting several visitors at different ranch tours or functions that had to be postponed or canceled.
George Kempfer, a ranch manager at Kempfer Cattle Company, said the workdays at the ranch are normal, ensuring the safety of their cattle and managing the land. Although operations continued, concerns from ranchers still arose.
“I was mostly concerned about the packing plants being shut down,” Kempfer said. “I think we owe a lot to the people who kept coming into those plants and working.”
Gene Lollis, ranch manager of Buck Island Ranch, said a big concern of his was keeping cattle moving in the production system. When a nationwide shut down like this happens, it does not mean the production chain stops. Due to the backlog in the processing facilities, he said the cattle were ready to be harvested, but the facilities did not have the space for them.
When the packing plants shut down, it caused a big setback in the beef industry by slowing the movement and distribution of beef products. What happens at the packing plants impacts the grocery stores across the state. Meat was scarce on the shelves because it was not being processed and distributed at the normal rate.
To meet demand for beef products, ranchers adapted their businesses and began selling products directly to the consumer.
“We started selling meat ourselves just to keep the cattle moving and getting beef on people’s plates,” Lollis said.
Similarly, Strickland said Blackbeard’s began to have its beef packaged into individual cuts, making it easier to sell directly to consumers. This has become necessary because of how the supply chain has been broken during the shutdown he said.
Kempfer said the long-term impact of COVID-19 will change the way beef is processed. When the demand changes from eating out to staying in, the beef industry will be more prepared to change the way beef is processed and distributed to meet the demand he said.
Some ranches sell its beef to local restaurants. When the shutdown began, that supply of beef was no longer needed. Strickland said the ranch had hundreds of pounds of beef sitting in a cooler with no one to sell it to
“We decided the meat was not doing any good in the cooler, so we donated it to the local fire departments in Sarasota and Manatee counties,” Strickland said.
Lollis said the pandemic helped people in the beef industry locate the weak points in the system. He said this will encourage the beef industry members to analyze the decisions made moving into the future, especially in the distribution sector.
“I think it will make us stronger,” Lollis said. “It is going to unite us and make us look at our complete system.”
Strickland said it is important to continuously remember all of the front-line workers. He said the beef industry is much more than just the ranchers and hopes the pandemic showed how important each sector is.
“Now we will have a plan for times like this,” Kempfer said.