Upper Valley slaughterhouses rise to meat demand during pandemic
By JOHN LIPPMAN
Valley News Business Writer
As sides of beef are moved into the packaging room from the cooler, Marilyn Smith cuts steaks for a customer at Vermont Packinghouse in North Springfield, Vt., last week. The plant processes over 150 head of cattle and 200 hogs each week. “We’re a small plant in a big world,” plant manager Will Mitchell said. Valley News — Geoff Hansen
Kacey Knight says she typically hears two kinds of reactions from people when they learn she’s a supervisor on the “kill floor” at Vermont Packinghouse slaughterhouse in North Springfield, Vt.
“It’s either ‘Oh, really?’ or ‘I don’t want hear about that,’ ” Knight said.
Some people are surprised she has a job often thought of as men’s work (she oversees an eight-man crew). Others don’t want to know what goes on inside the 30,000-square-foot plant that slaughters cows and hogs and packages meat.
For the latter, Knight has a ready reply.
“I always say, ‘Where do you think your food comes from?’ ” Knight said.
With several of the country’s largest beef and pork processing facilities shut down after COVID-19 infections spread among plant workers, Knight’s question is more pertinent than ever. The demand for meat has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, as has a desire for food that is locally sourced and raised.
Indeed, the meat business is bearing a heavy plate right now.
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