KSNT (TOPEKA)- Since the start of the pandemic there has been a push to get back to buying local, and now across the country, local butchers are having a hard time keeping up with the demand.
Drew Forester, owner of Fairview Farms, a local butcher in Topeka, told 27 News he is currently booked out a year, soon to be two years, for custom butchering. He says it’s not just Kansas dealing with this problem, but it’s nationwide.
“We just come to work and do what we can every day trying to help as many people as possible. As somebody who has been in business and been working with these type of customers for 20 years it’s tough to have to turn a lot of people away when you know that’s something they need, and you want to help as many people eat as possible. You want them to be able to feed their families with stuff that they raise on their own. And when you’re not able to do that, it’s kind of tough.” said Forester.
Kansas Beef Council does not expect this to end any time soon, regardless of inflation of meat prices due to supply chain issues and shortages.
“Prices for producing meat have increased, you know just due to supply chain shortages and disruptions that we’re still seeing from COVID. So those input costs such as fertilizer, fuel, and feed have all increased. But the really good news that what we’re seeing for beef is that consumers are still choosing to eat beef, both here in the United States and abroad.” says Kansas Beef Council Manager of Communications Sam Capoun.
Capoun says four times in the past year, they have hit export marks of one billion dollars.