Over the next couple of months, you might notice a difference in the paper on which we print Meatingplace magazine. Labor issues have extensively disrupted the supply chain linking the trees to our usual printer, and so we’re making a temporary shift to another company that can meet our ongoing printing needs until our normal routes re-align.

As accustomed as we are, of course, to covering the supply chain disruptions that have rippled throughout the meat industry, this marks the first physical change in many years to hit on our own home front. It will come in the form of, oddly enough, heavier paper, even as paper costs — like everything else — continue to climb.

So, we too feel the weight of these heavy global economic crosscurrents. And, like you, we work to wade through them to continue bringing to market a product that doesn’t compromise on quality. We’ve always spent more to maintain the quality of our paper, and more importantly, we remain focused on the quality of the content that we print upon that paper (and post online).

It won’t be long after this April issue arrives that we will learn whether Meatingplace will win more Jesse H. Neal awards, among the highest honors in all of B2B journalism. We hope to add to the 11 Neals we’ve already won. However, we are proud and honored just to have been selected as finalists in three categories: Best Series, for our original research and reporting on how “Mouth Behavior” affects consumer meat choices; Best Podcast, for our growing “MeatingPod” podcast series; and Best Subject-Related Package, for our “Big Gulp” print/online piece about the industry’s efforts to conserve water.

Of course, while it is nice to be recognized for our work through awards, they are only a by-product of our core purpose, and that is to serve the meat industry with compelling content and information that helps its players do their jobs better. Lucky for us, there has never been a shortage of compelling people and topics to cover in this dynamic industry.

And, as the world churns with uncertainty from war, pandemic and inflation, the challenges are only getting more complex. Lowering fuel costs isn’t as simple as drilling for more fossil fuels, if you’re a company setting green goals that call for a shift away from them. Easing the labor burden isn’t as simple as automating, when a human can cut more meat off the bone and software exposes companies to cyberattacks. Addressing consolidation isn’t as simple as building more plants, when drought, disease and production costs are curbing animal production.

Those challenges call for solutions, and solutions require conversations. We aim to better facilitate those conversations and deepen our relationships, which is worth not only the cost of paper but also further investment in staffing, digital products, and an improved, more user-friendly web interface soon to come.

In this fast-moving and chaotic environment, it’s paramount that we all make the best use of our resources and extract as much value as we can out of our interactions, no matter the manner in which they take place.

We’re in this together.

(Editor's note: This article ran as the Editorial in the April issue of Meatingplace magazine.)

#WeToo

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