Meat processing woes could start constricting Madison restaurant menus

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - For Wisconsin farmers, problems in meat processing have gotten worse over the past two years, as fewer processors but consistent demand is putting a strain on the entire industry. Some farmers are ending up on waitlists for as long as two years. While restaurants closed down in 2020, people kept buying meat, and stocking fridges and grocery stores kept demand high.

As restaurants around the Madison area return to full capacity dining with the easing of mandates, demand is ballooning. Farmers and chefs say the industry does not have the infrastructure to keep up.

“We had a lot more demand, so we were struggling with, if we have more demand, we have to upscale a little bit, but we don’t have a place to take our animals, so that was the bottleneck,” said Ducks in a Row Family Farm owner Nadia Alber.

Cadre chef and owner Evan Dannells says it will likely mean less meat for kitchens like his.

“The restaurants that have always relied on local meat are wanting to go back up to pre-pandemic ordering levels, and there just aren’t enough slaughtering spots, and there isn’t enough meat processing spots to go around,” said Dannells.

Dannells predicts the worst is still ahead for the industry, expecting the shortage notches up in the next six months. He says this will mean less variety in cuts and fewer specialty orders due to time constraints. Dannells says cooks will need to tighten up menus and get creative in the kitchen.

“We traditionally sear and braise chuck roast for our beef bourguignon,” said Dannells. “But I’m using sirloin tips, trying to diversify the cuts that we use.”

It’s a reality of the Wisconsin meat market that farmers enjoy just as much as the chefs.

“It’s not fun farming and selling your meat when your meat to your customer is not the way you wanted it to be,” said Alber.

In April, NBC15 News talked with farmers about how issues in the meat processing business impact life on the farm.

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