What happens when REAL panic buying is set off, which will be 30X worse than anything we've seen so far

 GENUINE SUPPLY ISSUES result in much worse shortages -- and much worse panic buying.

I'd like to say something about the meat supply.  We live in an ag/rural area, where there are a lot of confinement barns for animals.  We know quite a few of these animal "farmers", and even though my husband and I DO NOT agree with confinement, we are friendly with the operators.  Many of them have animals--sized for butchering--just sitting there.  They aren't being picked up for slaughter because of all the meat processing plant closures.  We know one person who hasn't had eggs picked up for several weeks.  They just keep piling up...not to mention the dairy farmers that are dumping milk.  

It's really happening.  This isn't something made up by the media.  

What gets me is that if you were to take 5 gallons of this milk, a beef, a pork, and a couple chickens to every house in town, and gave it to them, most people wouldn't know what to do with it anyway.  Most of it would still go to waste.

We ordered garden seeds 1 month ago, and still haven't received them, because the company is so far behind on filling the vast amounts of orders.  When we ordered, all the companies we normally ordered from were not accepting any more orders because of the huge amounts of orders they all had to fill.  We ordered chicks to raise for meat--they were about sold out as well.  Usually we get them in July because it works out to be a better time to butcher in the fall, but my husband ordered some now and another set for July, just in case.  

But what are people going to do in the winter?  How many of them are going to can/freeze/dehydrate or in any way preserve their garden's summer bounty?  How many even know how?  How many of you know how?

I strongly encourage each and every one of you to learn how to can and dehydrate your foods.  Those with larger families probably already buy in bulk, but if at all possible, buy bulk amounts of salt and other dry goods.  You can make do without a lot, if you have to, but salt is pretty hard to do without.  If you can, go online and get 50 or 100# of good quality sea salt.  Yes, it's expensive, but it'll keep for a long, long time.

I'm not trying to be an alarmist--just facing the reality of the coming hard times.  Even if it turns out this go-round isn't "it" as far as our world changing completely, it's really only a matter of time.  Your efforts won't be wasted either way.

An even better deal from a farmer in southern Minnesota:

The Situation:
Unfortunately, the coronavirus has affected us all in so many different ways. With the recent closing of the Smithfield, Tyson, and other meat processing plants, farmers everywhere have been left with large sums of livestock with nowhere to go while consumers are preparing for meat shortages in grocery stores. The CEO of the Minnesota Pork Board estimated that farmers will have to euthanize 200,000 hogs in the state over the next several weeks.

The Sloot family has owned a small hog farm for over 60 years, and they currently have over 600 hogs on their farm in Winthrop, MN that they are seeking to sell to processors or consumers over the next few weeks. This number will increase over time if the meat processing facilities remain closed.

Please consider purchasing a fully butchered and processed hog from them in these strange and difficult times, and please spread the word to anyone you think may be interested.

The Black Angus of Pork:
The family prides itself on its relationship with Compart Family Farms (https://www.compartduroc.com/) where it sells the majority of its pork. Compart Family Farm pork, aka the Black Angus of Pork, is known for its premium quality and sells to top tier restaurants such as Manny’s Steakhouse (Minneapolis), Smoak BBQ (Rochester), and OMC Smokehouse (Duluth).

Each hog comes to market weighing approximately 280 lbs and yields roughly 110 – 120 lbs of pork (more if people order very specific cuts). As with all meat, exact yields are difficult to estimate but you will receive the butcher’s standard of pork quantity according to a 1 hog or 1⁄2 hog order. The family is offering portions of a whole hog or a half hog. Please see below for rough estimates of what that may look like.

The official order form (link on the following page) allows you to select precisely what you want!

Whole Hog Package:
Front Shoulder Cut – Steak / Roast (14 lbs)
Pork Loin – Tenderloin / Bone-in Pork Chops / Boneless Pork Chops (16 lbs)
Hind Legs – Steak / Fresh Ham Roast / Bone-in Smoked Ham (30 lbs)
Pork Belly – Smoked Bacon / Fresh Side Pork (22 lbs)
Ground Pork (27 lbs) Spare Ribs (6 lbs)

1⁄2 Hog Package:
Front Shoulder Cut – Steak / Roast (7 lbs)
Pork Loin – Tenderloin / Bone-in Pork Chops / Boneless Pork Chops (8 lbs)
Hind Legs – Steak / Fresh Ham Roast / Bone-in Smoked Ham (15 lbs)
Pork Belly – Smoked Bacon / Fresh Side Pork (11 lbs)
Ground Pork (14 lbs) Spare Ribs (3 lbs)
          
Payment:
The cost of a whole hog is $260 and a half hog is $130. Please pay via check at pickup. Checks can be made out to “John Sloot Inc.” This cost covers the market price of the hog as well as processing and packaging.

Also note that at current market prices, the family is still losing money on each hog they sell. If you are able, please consider adding a little extra!

Delivery / Pick-Up:
The pork will be available for pickup at the Winthrop Market (the town grocery store) in Winthrop, MN. We will give each buyer notice when their hog goes in with the date and time it will be available for pick-up (this will typically be about 10 days in advance of pick-up). There will be some wiggle room on pick-up date, but to keep the freezer from overflowing, please act quickly! To get in on the first round, please put your order in by Friday, May 1st, 2020. Later orders will be accepted but may take longer to prepare!

Please note that, due to a lack of butchers’ capacity at this time (everyone with excess livestock are going to butchers!), orders could be staggered out through the next few weeks or months.

By our best estimates, we believe a four-door sedan could hold 1 (possibly 2) hogs worth of pork while a pick- up truck could hold 4 (possibly 5) hogs worth of pork.

If you would like to place an order, please fill out the Google form below, and feel free to reach out to me (chaddavidberg@gmail.com; (651) 757-6464) or Kellie Sloot (yesterdayskitchen@gmail.com) with any questions. Thank you for your interest!

Order Form: https://forms.gle/dqUvmejazmEDn3kL7