Food Chain

As more people test positive for the Coronavirus across the nation, more food processing facilities will be forced to close.

Thank you for joining us..

"the food chain is breaking" this was the warning issued monday by one of america's largest food processors-- tyson foods.

Our cash matlock joins us live in the studio with a break down of what this means.

Joey, as more people test positive for the coronavirus across the nation, more food processing facilities will be forced to close.

Infected workers can mean indefinite shutdowns.

This means less meat will be available at grocery stores... and what áisá left... won't be cheap.

"we could find ourselves in america and across the country with inadequate food supply, particularly meat products."

On monday, governor tate reeves addressed the food chain issue in his daily press conference.

The issue received national attention after the chairman of tyson foods took out ads with the washington post and the new york times.

"we cannot find ourselves in a situation in which livestock or other things that we depend on as part of the nations food supply are rotting while we're running out food across the country."

Jack huerkamp produces corn in noxubee county.

100 percent of his crop is sold as livestock feed... primarily for chickens.

When a chicken plant shuts down... huerkamp has no place to sell his feed.

"if you stay shutdown then that starts backing up feeding, and feeding is what we do.

We're raising the corn that goes to the feed."

He says if he were to try and sell his corn today... he wouldn't be able to turn a profit.

"looking at the market and looking at demand, which we watch all the time, i look at it everyday, our corn price is down a lot."

So far, processing plants in noxubee county are open.

Standup "here at peco foods in brooksville, it's business as usual.

Employees tell wcbi that another female employee tested positive for covid-19 on sunday.

The plant remains open today.

Insiders say the factory is cleaning every single night to ensure the safety of all employees.

We've reached out to the brooksville plant, as well as the peco headquarters, for a comment, and they have yet to get back to us."

Dr. thomas hobbs with the mississippi department of health says most of the food processing plants within the state are cooperating with proper health regulations.

"they've been very receptive to recommendations to making things safe and have actually been extremely innovative in some of the things they've done.

Especially around making sure that their employees are wearing ppe or have other environmental things built in that would minimize transmission."

Huerkamp says he's holding out hope for his november corn crops.

He hopes by then the price of corn will be above the profit margin.

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