WKBW-TV reports:
Some new numbers are showing that the U.S. has more than 2.5 billion lbs [1.1 million metric tons] of meat in cold storage warehouses, and it's all because Americans aren't eating enough to keep up with supply.
Another reason is that the trade situation is chipping away at global demand.
[...] The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects the industry will produce a record 102.7 billion pounds of meat this year.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 26 2018, @08:31AM (4 children)
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2015/03/17/family-farms-are-focus-new-agriculture-census-data/ [usda.gov]
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 26 2018, @08:43AM
Note that this isn't necessarily how it is, just how it looks on paper.
For instance consider chicken farms. The farms are indeed owned by families. The product however is owned by big business that gives the farmers chickens to grow for them. (ie: family farm gets to own everything that costs money (land taxes, repair/construction costs, etc) but the businesses own everything that make money. (The chickens.)
I wouldn't be at all surprised that other types of farms are similarly controlled.
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Thursday July 26 2018, @08:47AM
Ergo...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Insightful) by leftover on Thursday July 26 2018, @04:45PM (1 child)
Maybe true but really misleading. Try looking at acres farmed, commodity product sold, annual revenue per "farmer" for ADM, etc. vs. all family farms.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 26 2018, @05:54PM
My friend's family bought a farm when his parents retired. The way it worked is they did all the farming then sold the harvest to the big company who acted like a co-op and bought all the food to be processed and distributed.
None of the farmers had global, or even national distribution networks. And as people here like to point out, there are great efficiency gains in scaling. Can you imagine a grocery in Japan finding, much less negotiating with a farmer in Ohio. And then having to do that for every item they sell. And having to do it every week because that's how long a harvest lasts. And coordinating with storage warehouses because your plums have a shelf life of two days unrefrigerated?