May 14, 2020

 

US state beef producers see business boom amid pandemic

 

 

The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association has called on beef producers to start selling meat directly to consumers to help with the losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually boosting their business, reported KOCO 5.

 

In April, the news agency reported that Oklahoma was working on a plan to help producers sell directly to consumers. On Tuesday, KOCO 5 spoke with a local farmer who's seeing a big boost in business.

 

"We're 100% local, farm-to-table ranchers," said Chuck Swisher, with Swisher Beef Co.

 

Beef producers Chuck and Carolyn Swisher have been selling their product directly to customers for years.

 

"We told a friend, then a friend told some friends, and it just blew up from there," Chuck Swisher said.

 

Instead of having losses, business is booming for the Swishers.

 

"In the last few weeks, it's really blown up," Carolyn Swisher said.

 

Chuck Swisher said that the phone has not stop ringing and they never stop feeding. With grocery stores seeing shortages, he thinks people are now realising just how important buying local is.

 

"They don't care if it's nine or 10 at night, they're going to call," Chuck Swisher said, "and they want to buy beef."

 

The shortage of beef is blamed on closures to processing plants. The Swishers' advantage during the pandemic is they process locally.

 

"We might actually sell more in the next couple of months than we did last year," Chuck Swisher said.