A heated run-up to the presidential election, an ongoing pandemic, continuing discussions on another economic stimulus package … surely, there’s a hell of a lot going on Capitol Hill right now.

And, for the legislative action that heated up for small meat processors over the summer, that means there’s likely a snowball’s chance in hell that any of several proposed bills aiming to help them will see much sun this fall.

The RAMP-UP, DIRECT, and revived PRIME acts (and this just in, the Strengthen Local Processing Act) could then amount to symbolism, a gesture from lawmakers looking to show their support for a cause dear to their constituents.

But it would be shortsighted to say that these efforts have been made in vain. The elevation of such issues to the federal legislature adds momentum to a sector of the industry that has flourished amid the pandemic — particularly when the big dominoes fell and consumers needed alternatives — and continues a streak of prosperity that began years ago with the "local" movement.

Notable, to me, is that these, and several letter writing campaigns to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, were by and large bipartisan efforts at a time when the two sides perhaps have never been more divided. I find a comfort and relief in such balance.

While reporting on this activity for an “Issues” story that will feature in our upcoming October magazine issue, I found comfort also in the context provided by interviewees, who no doubt can sense momentum for some shift in balance between large and small, but who also note the practical realities perhaps amiss on the lawmakers’ paper.

Even Chris Young, executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), which represents more than 1,300 mid- to small-sized processors, isn’t so sure that changes to regulations are necessarily the right path. He doesn’t see the PRIME ACT, for example, somehow creating slaughter capacity overnight to help his members cash in on soaring demand. Rather, more tangible, incremental and immediate steps provided by a cash infusion (of different kinds) will help them sustain their success for a long road ahead, he says.

Key to consider in trying to expand small processing infrastructure is that labor isn’t exactly plentiful. As noted by Rodney Holcomb, an agricultural economist and professor at Oklahoma State University, even less available is skilled labor, which is crucial in a small operation where a butcher must know how to carve up an entire carcass.

We must consider key reasons why the industry consolidated to such a level as seen today, proving vulnerable to supply chain shocks as demonstrated by COVID-19. One key reason is that operating where the feed, water and animals are concentrated allowed economies of scale that afford consumers both plentiful and affordable animal proteins.

Access to natural and human resources is critical, Holcomb says. He has been getting more and more inquiries for research conducted by a former grad student on the economic feasibility of building a small packing plant, and hopes such realities facilitate a measured growth so that the pendulum doesn’t swing so far that we see overgrowth and bankruptcies.

Young is realistic, too. He says small guys will never out-produce the major packers; they fulfill a necessary role of feeding the nation at large. However, his side has a golden opportunity to address increasing demand for local, niche product and fill in the gaps. Help in doing so will more likely come from federal loans and grants (akin to those already going to farmers) that will allow processors to invest in capital infrastructure and professional training, and AAMP is working on getting such long-term assistance.

Big or small, the meat business is booming and changes will be necessary in order to meet the demand. Those changes could come in the form of action in the legislative branch or executive branch. All play a part in achieving a prosperous balance.

Balance and prosper

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