WELCOME ••••••••••••••••• Welcome to the newest issue of Protein Producers. We are excited to provide important information about production agriculture that will continue to help you efficiently produce safe and wholesome protein. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of farmers, dairymen, and pork and beef producers. The working part of their day has not changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Fields still need to be prepared for planting and crops fertilized, cows must be fed and milked, and hogs and cattle still need excellent caregivers so they remain healthy. These tasks are not often the first to be considered essential, but it has become increasingly apparent that they are the definition of essential. Having the opportunity to observe, encourage, help, and work alongside many selfless and caring individuals during a time of unprecedented social difficulty has been inspiring. Producers have stepped up during very uncertain times, knowing that agriculture and producing food does not stop because of a virus. Social distancing (I prefer the term physical distancing) has put extraordinary strain on the basic fabric of society, because people need more than work and sleep. Even though not much has changed in the production of protein, getting the products to the consumer has become increasingly difficult. With the physical distancing guidelines and stay at home orders implemented by our federal, state, and local governments, supply chains have been disrupted, as they attempt to divert food to where consumers are located. Depending on the documented presence of the virus and decisions to reopen our retail economy, it is uncertain what percentage of protein products will be needed in normal restaurant settings. Additionally, beef, pork, milk, and dairy products have been difficult to keep stocked in local grocery stores. These sources of protein are being produced with the
same efficiency as prior to COVID-19 because of the extraordinary and dedicated caregivers referenced in the introduction. Though supply from production sources has not decreased, processing plants have struggled to maintain efficiency and supply chains have been slow to adjust delivery due to logistics. Dr. Jim Lowe and Dr. Dan Thomson discuss a few of these concepts in a podcast they recently produced, available at: https://online.vetmed.illinois.edu/the-round-barn-podcast. One of our biggest immediate challenges is how to mitigate COVID-19 effectively in protein processing plants. There are two main goals which need to be accomplished: keeping the processing work force safe and their families protected, while also maintaining the speed of commerce to prevent a slow down of product supply when demand is high. Great minds and special people are working to solve these issues, but it is unknown if it will take weeks or months to improve this difficult situation. Strategies such as the proposed Fed Cattle Set-Aside Program may be necessary to help support producers as they work through how to negotiate limited market access. We all question how physical distancing will affect the future of these plants and how supply and demand economics will adjust. These same questions are being asked by every sector of our economy, as businesses both large and small maneuver through the proper financial channels to keep their livelihoods viable. There will be social activity adjustments requiring more consideration for proper biosecurity. In this issue, Dr. Wade Taylor will address how public health discussions and concepts for virus mitigation have focused on prevention, herd immunity, monitoring disease development, and epidemiology. These same processes and procedures are applicable to all operations producing protein. While it is important to be knowledgeable about how to mitigate disease, it is
