“COVID tired” is a real thing for me. Over the last 18 months, I have overused the word “COVID” both in written and oral format. I have other names for COVID, none of which I can put on this blog. I am over it, and tired of dealing with issues related to COVID. We can all argue about masks, shutdowns, government control, what’s fair and what’s not, and point fingers at people for making their own choices. But there is one thing we cannot argue about and that is COVID has placed a kink in the supply chain for our industry. The consequences of the shutdown (right or wrong is not the discussion here) are huge as we look at the supply chain and infrastructure to get our business done.

Our purpose is to supply safe and quality poultry meat and products to our customers (consumers or other companies). That purpose is being interrupted and I am upset because we cannot do our jobs easily. To clarify, our jobs have never been easy, but now it is crazy hard.

This last couple of weeks, I was reminded of just how hard things are currently when we had to get some parts in for a piece of equipment in the plant. Phone calls resulted in very few leads and even less customer service than normal and less than optimal. Try to get someone on the phone to help is nearly impossible now. Overnight shipping is unreliable even though we are still paying for overnight 10 a.m. delivery prices. Freight, shipping and railways are overloaded due to the backup of goods that need delivery.

Traveling by air is unreliable as well. I have heard from many of you about trip cancellations and changes nearly every time we get on a plane. Hotels have extremely limited services and employees working. Even going to grab food on the road was difficult as restaurants were at less than half capacity and when we did get food it wasn’t what we ordered, and it was slower than slow. A popular chicken restaurant even ran out of chicken twice by 2 p.m. Supply chain disruptions are not fun for anyone.

I am not blaming any of the people we interacted with, as they are all dealing with the same issues we are dealing with as an industry. But I am not going to lie: It is frustrating to try to get business done with hands tied.

I have always been a solutions-based person but I don’t see a solution here to ease our concerns and make our jobs easier. So, all I can do is change my mindset and look at the positive. There are great people bending over backwards in our industry to get safe and high-quality food on our tables. They are working double time and are not taking “no” for an answer. They are the heroes. The people we meet and work with every day are the ones who should be thanked. They are the ones dealing with the behind-the-scenes drama so we can have chicken, turkey and eggs at the grocery store. Our industry people are the ones that are making the world go 'round right now and I am thankful for those showing up to work and going the extra mile to make sure my family is fed.

Thanks for letting me blow off some steam today. I really hope I don’t have to keep using the word “COVID” for much longer and I think I am not alone in that wish. I can’t control the supply chain situation, but I can thank people and be kind.

Don’t worry about the things you can’t control

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