Kooiker - 5/26/2020 13:43
farmertom311 - 5/26/2020 12:13 I don’t know how you can say that. Vert integrations is what has directly lead to the larger model of packing plants.
I'm not sure you know what "vertical integration" is. Big does not necessarily = vertically integrated. Small does not necessarily rule out being vertically integrated. There are lots of small operations that take their product from the farm to the plate, that is vertical integration.
Lower costs/head to operate the plant has lead to larger packing plants. Its called efficiency. Just like efficiency has lead to larger everything in agriculture its lead to larger livestock operations and larger packing plants.
There's a 20,000 hd/day packing plant in Sioux Falls SD that has been there for 100+ yrs. No it didn't always kill 20,000 hd/day, but it is the same building. They've become more efficient with new machinery and added a second shift to make the plant more profitable.
Piggies.
