E119: Meat Packing Aims to Expand

The Biden Administration’s big announcement in 2021, announcing new funding specifically aimed at increasing competition in the US’s meat packing sector, was not by far the first sign that ranchers and feedlots alike are feeling the sting of tough conditions, even while consumers paid record high prices at the meat counter. In the wake of such funding, a number of new meat packing facilities have been proposed all over the country. DTN AG Policy Editor Chris Clayton has been keeping an eye on a number of these proposed projects, and learning more about their viability and their potential impacts on markets and producers in their areas.  He joins us today to unpack his latest reporting on the meat processing sector, to shed some light on how successful similar projects have been in the past, and to discuss how changing economic and policy conditions might affect which plants get off the ground. We’ll also check in on the farm bill and other key policy stories to watch.