Many meat packing plants in Minnesota are back up and running, but they are not at full capacity. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen says there are still some disruptions in supply chain. “We continue to monitor disruptions, but the hogs are getting better. We are still depopulating turkeys and we are concerned about cattle backing up into the fall, because at some time they have to go back to the market,” says Petersen. “We are trying to build our capacity.” There is a goal to keep packing plants running as smooth as possible. To help with a backlog of livestock, the agriculture department is offering more grants for local processors and other options, too. “Some of the smaller plants are taking on more hogs and cattle. We still have that grant open and we just got more money for beef processing from the state legislature. We are trying to understand fill holes in the state,” says Petersen. “We are also considering grazing and haying options in the state. We’ll have to consider all options so we have enough forage to get through the year.”
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