Joel

🐄 This is something quite interesting, a map of the Beef processing plants in the USA and Southern Canada and their Open / Closed status. Click here This map does not provide the details of each day's slaughter by plant. The only information available is the daily total on the USDA daily slaughter and beef report. 🐖 The Pork Checkoff created this map of Pork processing plants in the USA and their Open / Closed status. Click here

Joel's Beef, Pork & Poultry Market Analysis Overall Market Health Summary, News & Notices: Uncertainty in the markets remains, however panic buying seems to have diminished. Meat demand by restaurants has been diverted to grocery stores and the panic buying by the public. People seem to have filled their freezers and have lessened their mass purchasing as we saw last week. Market News: I was contacted this week, by a company out of Virginia. They wanted 500 Tons each of every part of a chicken as well as pigs each week to send overseas. There is demand, and they're searching all over to fill their needs. Grain Futures: Corn prices softened at week's end. Futures prices are leaving little incentive for farmers to carry grain forward. This is encouraging farmers to market grain now and the corn basis is weakening Upcoming "National Days" - Add Some Fun to Your Daily Specials - I'm not sure who thinks of these things or how in the world they became "National Days". Enjoy! March 27 - National Spanish Paella Day March 28 - National Black Forest Cake Day March 29 - National Mom and Pop Business Day National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day March 30 - National Turkey Neck Soup Day March 31 - National Clam On the Half Shell Day National Tater Day April 1 - National Sourdough Bread Day April 2 - National Peanut Butter & Bread Day National Burrito Day April 3 - National Chocolate Mousse Day People buy from people.... Businesses work together... This is my family, this is who I am. When you buy from me, you help my family. Soccer games, t-ball, stroller walks, bike rides, learning to read, night time stories, dirty diapers and more, I love every minute of it. I want to thank You for your business in the past and going forward, my family thanks you as well. In general, I'm no one special, but to them, I mean the world. I'm very lucky. I have nothing to hide, so feel free to visit my FB profile to learn more about me or add me as a friend. Wenneman Price Sheet Notables: A LOT of Movers Beef – Beef sides from our slaughter, Chuck Rolls, Peeled Knuckle, Choice Beef Tenderloin, Top Butts and ground beef all went down. Choice Beef Tenderloin is below $9/# by the case. HUGE DROP. Inside rounds, short loins, clods and bottom round flats went up. Pork - Market Pigs are still just $0.95/#. Fresh Bellies, Boneless Callies, Fresh Hams, Pork Butts all went down. Blade On Pork Loins, boneless pork loins, inched higher. Chicken – Our 8 pc marinated chicken REMAINS UNCHANGED, wings went down, while random chicken breast went higher. Turkey – We have locked in whole frozen turkey prices through the remainder of 2020. Pre-Order now. Attention Chefs: Win this 26 pc set of Gunter Wilhelm Exec Chef Series Knife Set !! It's FREE to register. $1,499 MSRP Value Just click on the picture to learn more. Just create a profile in the TableGab.com food forum and request "Chef" status, which will allow you certain privileges and the ability to share a recipe to be entered into the drawing. No Politics... Just Chefs and restaurants and their food. This is my way to give back to our chefs. Nationwide Market Reports according to various USDA, beef & pork industry web sites, market discussion & somewhat educated guess... Beef – Beef slaughter is at approximately 653,000 from 639,000 the previous week. Live weights averages were at 1,377 lb average and dressed weights average at 832 lbs. Total production at 541.6 million pounds. Cattle futures fell by the daily permissible limit as the unemployment claims hit the market and concerned traders about the impact on beef demand. The cattle futures have now uncoupled from the stock market and the evidence of a dysfunction is on view for all to see. Box prices peaked and the composite turned lower. Rapidly turning over meat counters have caught demand but there remains a large margin at the processing level that can lose many dollars and still maintain generous margins. Retailers are finding a calming and more routine level of traffic in stores across the country. Eating at home will become more routine with regular trips to the market for many Americans during this health crisis. Meat counters were watching the shelves for cut selections of consumers as they plan eat at home menus. The core participants in cattle futures trading are the commercials. They are always around and always interested in protecting pricing. They include a mixed bag of interest ranging from: Supermarkets. These are longs wanting to fix future prices for beef. Food service. These include restaurants, and fast food companies who also are long hedgers. Processors. They can be long of short but are protecting processing margins or either cattle they buy from producers or beef they sell to retailers. Exporters. These are global participants who can be either long or short depending on whether they are buying or selling. Cattle feeders. Mainly short hedgers using the appropriate out month for locking prices. Pork – Pork Slaughter under federal inspection was at 2,639,000. Live weights averaged 288 pounds and dressed weights averaged 215 pounds. Primal Callies, Ribs Hams and Bellies are expected to go down, while Loins and butts inch higher. Economists say since COVID-19 crisis, cash prices of major products, such as hams and pork loins, are holding up well, however there is significant weakness in the pork belly market. COVID-19 and export potential with China are creating uncertainty in the 2020 pork outlook. As the sway of the pandemic increases unemployment and decreases consumer income levels, demand, rather than supply, will be the driving force in the markets Chicken – The estimated number of fryers available for marketing based on the 2-week revised average chick placements 6 to 7 weeks earlier was 170.7 million head. Estimated U.S. slaughter for this period was 173.8 million head, or 3.1 million more than estimated available. Whole broiler/fryer prices are generally trending weak for most sizes. Offerings of all sizes range light to available with supply levels varying by region. Retail demand is light to moderate in the Eastern region, moderate to good in all other regions. Food service demand remains light to moderate. Floor stocks are sufficient to at times light. Market activity is slow to moderate. In the parts structure, prices for boneless skinless breasts and wings are steady to weak, with larger size wings in the weakest position. The balance of parts are steady at best. Offerings of boneless skinless breasts and tenders are moderate to heavy for current needs. Wings are readily available with some discounting noted on medium and jumbo sizes. The remainder of parts are light to moderate. Market activity for parts is mostly moderate. In production areas, live supplies are moderate. Weights are mixed, but noted as mostly desirable. Turkey - The market on frozen 8-16 lb. hens and 16-24 lb. toms is steady with a steady to firm undertone. Demand light with some watching market developments. Frozen processor offerings of Grade A 8-16 lb. hens and 16-24 lb. toms are light to moderate. The market on fresh white meats is steady with fresh tom breast meat having a steady to fully steady undertone, fresh and frozen white trims steady. Frozen white meat market is steady to weak. Demand on fresh tom breast meat moderate to instances good, scapula and fresh destrapped tenderloins light to moderate, balance of white trims light and frozen white meat very light to light. Offerings of scapula and fresh breast meat light to moderate, balance of white trims mostly moderate, frozen tom breast meat and frozen tenderloins moderate to heavy. The market on bulk parts is steady to firm with tom drums and full-cut wings steadiest. Demand light to good, usually moderate. Offering of bulk parts is light to moderate. The thigh meat market is steady to weak with fresh steadiest. Demand light to moderate. Fresh offerings light to moderate and frozen moderate to heavy. The mechanically separated turkey market is steady. Demand moderate. Offerings light to moderate. Trading mixed ranging slow to moderately heavy, mostly moderate. Instagram, tag us: #tablegab.comstl #wennemanmeatco I personally believe that we could all elevate the St. Louis food scene even more with a food based forum. TableGab.com is the place where: Chefs can promote themselves, their creations, blogs, photos, etc. Restaurants can promote their food, drink, entertainment, banquet space and more. Upload daily specials, etc. Foodies can interact with chefs and restaurants. Restaurant reviews, blogs, photos, home creations and more. Please tell others about or share this weekly report with a fellow business owner, chefs, butcher shop, supermarket or anyone who is interested in the ever changing meat industry. They can contact me to be added to the list at Joel@Wenneman.com I greatly appreciate your kind words or recommendations to others in the industry as well. I appreciate your feedback as well. Tell me I'm ugly or I have a bad hair cut... but please buy your meat products from me in 2020!!! There are a lot of warehouse providers out there, I hope that I can service your company’s needs better, and be an asset to you as your salesperson. I look forward to your feedback on these weekly updates as well. Please buy your meat from me. Who else gives you a weekly market report like this? Take a Tour of Wenneman Meat Processing Facility. I’d like to personally give you a tour of our processing facility, so you can see what makes us different than the large warehouse companies. Contact me to schedule your personal tour of our plant. All current plant tours have been suspended. Stay tuned for further information. *Feast Magazine video tour and TV Segment *Wenneman's Locally Raised Beef Program / Feast Magazine Article. *Riverfront Times 2019 Staff Pick for Best Meat Market Thank you for the opportunity to EARN your business, trust and friendship. I am very thankful for your friendship and business. Have a great weekend with your family and friends, Joel Joel Sommer Wholesale Sales, Co-Packing & Distribution 618-979-0100 Cell 618-768-4328 Office Joel@Wenneman.com This newsletter brought to you by Wenneman Meat & TableGab.com I personally built and own TableGab.com in an effort to promote the St. Louis food scene, provide a safe spam free, politic free, cat video free place for chefs, restaurants, foodies, consumers and more to share together. Customers can see what their favorite chef is adding to the menu, restaurants can post their specials, set up their own menus, add photos, interact with the consumer and more. It's FREE for all to use. All that I ask is that you set up a profile for yourself, and one for your business.... All FREE. I will not sell your contact information. I just have a passion for the St. Louis food scene, and want to promote discussions. I hope to see you there. Instagram: #tablegab.comstl

Overall Market Health Summary, News & Notices: Uncertainty, Confusion in the Market, Huge Market Swings.... I'd like to start off by saying that I respect everyone's decisions, wether to close the doors for the next couple weeks or to stay open offering curb side pick up in efforts to keep employees working. I talk to a lot of restaurant owners, managers and executive chefs each day, and I'm hearing that the decisions made were some of the hardest ones they've ever had to make while running their restaurants. Just know that if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. We're all on the same team. While restaurants are challenged with the decision to stay open or close, grocery stores, smaller butcher shops and food processors are going through meat as fast as it can be brought in. Some processors are trying to get as much food product made and into freezers while they still have workers and meat supplies. Grocery stores are buying everything by the truck load, just trying to keep their shelves stocked. Other butcher shops are making meat bundles in advance for customers to come pick up and fill their freezers, doing what they can to keep up with the demand. ** My Potential idea for restaurants/butchery customers: People want to fill their freezers with quality meats, they want to support locally owned businesses... Why not consider putting together meat bundles for their freezers, thus keeping your employees busy cutting steaks, packaging items, possible even buying half pigs and breaking them down. Demand for processed beef and pork sides is extremely high. You can buy locally raised market pig sides from us relatively cheap, and it's a great way to sell the entire side, and increase your value with your existing customers. ** My Second idea for restaurants: People may not want to buy an entire pig, nor have to figure out how to cook it. What if you were to offer fully cooked family meal items like lasagna, meat loaf, spaghetti, sides, etc. that people can buy and put in their freezers? Selling curb pick up meals is a great way to start, but why not offer them higher volume purchases for their freezer? There will come a time when people will not want to leave their houses unless they have to. Ground Beef - Demand for ground beef is at an all time high it seems. On an average week, Wenneman grinds in house and sells between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds of fresh ground beef to wholesale and retail customers. As of 4 pm Thursday, Wenneman had ground and sold 25,000 pounds of fresh ground beef this week alone. Crazy numbers - High volumes of meat are being processed at Wenneman. Our slaughter of beef has doubled and our pork slaughter has increased dramatically. Wenneman also brings in truck loads of pork from Seaboard and beef from other providers. There are days this week when we may have two or three truck loads of meat being delivered to us. This is truly unprecedented. High volume combo orders - Each week, I sell 2,000 pound containers called "combos" of pork or pallets of beef to food processors and other butcher shops. These combos mostly are boneless Callies, 72% pork trimmings, fresh bellies, cushion meat and more. Orders for those combos have to be placed a week in advance to lock in the price I give the customers. I can no longer get pricing from our providers, as they just don't know what the markets will be when the pigs are being processed. Thus, we have to buy "blind" and just pay what they charge us when it arrives at our plant. Needless to say, several of those food processors have decided to close at the end of this week for at least 2 weeks. Market News: Expect unprecedented price increases across the board. However, at least one major warehouse provider is being associated with "price gouging", and being investigated. Be cautious, be smart, be informed when making your purchases. President Trump stated last week that "price gouging" would not be tolerated and those who do, will be prosecuted. This is not a political newsletter, but this is an important note, to help keep prices in line during this time. Retailers are finding unprecedented traffic in supermarkets across the country. Stocking up and eating at home are in the cards for many Americans during this health crisis. Meat counters were watching the shelves for cut selections of consumers as they plan eat at home menus. They are joining with the processors in holding on to wide margins on all meat products. Retail prices have shown no signs of weakening and there appears to be little reason for a retailer to run features when they can sell all they can buy at prevailing prices. Testing for the virus will ramp up during the coming weeks and we will find more people are infected. Coronavirus will continue to spread and all people will continue to eat. Eating patterns will change. Food selection will change. More food will be consumed at home. Understanding how those changes impact the demand for proteins will be a work in progress. Grain Futures: Corn prices moved higher. Futures prices are leaving little incentive for farmers to carry grain forward. This is encouraging farmers to market grain now and the corn basis is weakening at 60 over the May board in Guymon, Oklahoma. Upcoming "National Days" - Add Some Fun to Your Daily Specials - I'm not sure who thinks of these things or how in the world they became "National Days". Enjoy! March 20 - National Ravioli Day March 21 - National French Bread Day National Corn Dog Day March 22 - National Bavarian Crepes Day March 23 - National Chip & Dip Day National Melba Toast day March 24 - National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day National Cheesecake Day March 25 - National Lobster Newburg Day March 26 - National Nougat Day National Spinach Day March 27 - National Spanish Paella Day People buy from people.... Businesses work together... This is my family, this is who I am. When you buy from me, you help my family. Soccer games, t-ball, stroller walks, bike rides, learning to read, night time stories, dirty diapers and more, I love every minute of it. I want to thank You for your business in the past and going forward, my family thanks you as well. In general, I'm no one special, but to them, I mean the world. I'm very lucky. I have nothing to hide, so feel free to visit my FB profile to learn more about me or add me as a friend. Wenneman Price Sheet Notables: Beef – Chuck Rolls went down, Ribeyes, inside rounds, peeled knuckle, strip loins, top butts, bottom round flats and ground beef went up. Pork - Market Pigs are still just $0.95/#. Fresh bellies, boneless Callies, fresh hams, pork butts, pork steaks, baby back ribs, blade on pork loins, smoked pork loins, all pork chops, boneless pork loins, smoked bone in hams and bacon all went up. Some fresh sausages went up as well. Chicken – Chicken prices are unchanged! Turkey – We have locked in whole frozen turkey prices through the remainder of 2020. Pre-Order now. Nationwide Market Reports according to various USDA, beef & pork industry web sites, market discussion & somewhat educated guess... Beef – Beef numbers are not available at this time, sorry. Boxed beef cutout values sharply higher on good demand and heavy offerings. Select and Choice chuck and round cuts higher while rib cuts steady. Choice loin cuts steady while Select lower. Retail demand for beef continues to dominate the news as consumers load up on food causing rapid turnover in the supermarkets and calling for replenished supplies. Packers are expected to step up Saturday's slaughter schedule in order to satisfy demand for beef to restock the meat counters. Eating patterns are in flux as restaurants close and eating at home and with take out become changing lifestyle habits. It is unclear how changing those habits will impact beef consumption but guesses are it will not decline. The choice cutout prices began a leveling out process after a three day increase of $40 on the choice boxes and an all time record for a three day run. Rapidly turning over meat counters will require more product until supplies catch up. The livestock industry still relies on many auction markets across the country to connect breeders, stocker operators and cattle feeders. Cattle are offered live in the sales rings and buyers in the seats surrounding the ring, bid and buy. The suggestion that all meeting places for greater than 10 people be shuttered, could pose a threat to this important marketing tool for producers. It also could help speed the movement to remote cameras and bidders. Online auctions currently exist but are often plagued with glitches. Beef demand will be driven by the consumer. Less beef will be distributed through food service companies. Restaurants will close and those that do not close will find diminished traffic. Fast food may survive this event because of drive up windows and take out orders. The run on supermarket meat supplies of the past few days is some indication of the change in purchasing patterns by consumers. A major component of the government rescue packages will be to provide financial assistance to those most impacted by disruptions to their wages. This disruption should be temporary and the bridge should keep beef demand on a steady course domestically. Pork – Pork Slaughter under federal inspection was at 2,679,000. Live weights averaged 287 pounds and dressed weights averaged 215 pounds. Primal bellies somehow came down a couple cents, while other primal loins, butts, Callies, ribs and hams went up. Loins, butts, Callies and ribs had the highest increase. Most animal coronaviruses infect the intestinal or respiratory tracts and cause diarrhea or respiratory disease. Linda Saif, virologist and distinguished professor in the Food Animal Health Research Program at The Ohio State University, says the best examples of coronaviruses that infect the gut and cause diarrhea and deaths in pigs are PEDV and PDCoV that first emerged in the United States in 2013-14 and are still present in pigs. These viruses are members of two different groups of coronaviruses — alpha and delta CoV. Saif explains they are genetically distinct and do not cross-protect against one another. Heather Fowler, director of producer and public health at National Pork Board, reiterates there is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 can be spread through food or food packaging. China’s agriculture ministry announced a new case of African swine fever in pigs in Sichuan province that were illegally transported from other provinces. The outbreak was discovered in Leshan on a truck transporting 111 pigs from other provinces, Reuters reports. The bad news is that globally, the disease isn’t going away. More and more countries are declaring positive ASF cases. Chicken – Weekly broiler-fryer slaughter under federal inspection for the week ending 21-Mar-20 is estimated to be 174,514,000 head up 2.35 percent from a week ago, and up 6.80 percent from a year ago. (Last week 170,505,000, last year 163,402,000) Whole broiler/fryer prices are firm for all sizes. Offerings are light to moderate with some premiums noted. Retail demand is moderate to good, and food service demand is light entering the weekend. Floor stocks are balanced to light. Processing schedules are normal to over time with reports of plants working extra shifts to satisfy increased needs. Market activity is moderate to active. In the parts structure, the market tone is steady to firm on boneless skinless breasts and most dark meat items. Wings are steady to weak, and the balance of parts are steady to mostly firm. Offerings of boneless skinless breasts are tight, wings are moderate to heavy with jumbo sizes in the weakest position. The remainder of parts are light to moderate. Market activity for parts is moderate to active. In production areas, live supplies are moderate. Weights are mixed, but noted as mostly desirable. Turkey - The market on frozen 8-16 lb. hens and 16-24 lb. toms is steady to firm. Demand light to moderate. Frozen processor offerings of Grade A 8-16 lb. hens and 16-24 lb. toms are light to moderate. The market on white trims mostly steady, fresh tom breast meat and destrapped tenderloins steady while frozen white meat is steady to weak. Demand on scapula fresh tom breast meat and destrapped tenderloins light to moderate, balance of white trims light. Offerings of scapula and fresh white meat light to moderate, balance of white trims and frozen white meat moderate to heavy. The market on 4-8 lb. and institutional sized bone-in breasts steady with some finding a stronger undertone on 4-8 lb. breasts. Demand light to moderate with increased interest noted on 4-8 lb. breasts. Offerings mostly moderate. The market on tom and hen bulk parts is steady to firm, strongest for retail destined product. Demand light to good, mostly moderate with retail interest the most active. Offerings of hen bulk parts very light to moderate. Offering of tom bulk parts light to moderate. Ground turkey demand good. The fresh thigh meat market is steady while frozen steady to weak. Demand light to moderate with fresh the most active and some increased interest noted on frozen. Offerings of fresh light to moderate and frozen moderate to heavy. The mechanically separated turkey market is steady. Demand moderate with improvement noted. Offerings light to moderate, mostly light. Trading slow to moderate. Instagram, tag us: #tablegab.comstl #wennemanmeatco I personally believe that we could all elevate the St. Louis food scene even more with a food based forum. TableGab.com is the place where: Chefs can promote themselves, their creations, blogs, photos, etc. Restaurants can promote their food, drink, entertainment, banquet space and more. Upload daily specials, etc. Foodies can interact with chefs and restaurants. Restaurant reviews, blogs, photos, home creations and more. Please tell others about or share this weekly report with a fellow business owner, chefs, butcher shop, supermarket or anyone who is interested in the ever changing meat industry. They can contact me to be added to the list at Joel@Wenneman.com I greatly appreciate your kind words or recommendations to others in the industry as well. I appreciate your feedback as well. Tell me I'm ugly or I have a bad hair cut... but please buy your meat products from me in 2020!!! There are a lot of warehouse providers out there, I hope that I can service your company’s needs better, and be an asset to you as your salesperson. I look forward to your feedback on these weekly updates as well. Please buy your meat from me. Who else gives you a weekly market report like this? Take a Tour of Wenneman Meat Processing Facility. I’d like to personally give you a tour of our processing facility, so you can see what makes us different than the large warehouse companies. Contact me to schedule your personal tour of our plant. All current plant tours have been suspended. Stay tuned for further information. *Feast Magazine video tour and TV Segment *Wenneman's Locally Raised Beef Program / Feast Magazine Article. *Riverfront Times 2019 Staff Pick for Best Meat Market Thank you for the opportunity to EARN your business, trust and friendship. I am very thankful for your friendship and business. Have a great weekend with your family and friends, Joel

I work in the food industry and some businesses are taking advantage of the grey area on the definition of what "Local" or "Locally Sourced" actually means. The other day, I was in a meeting, and the buyer asked me what my definition of "local" meant.. I shared a recent experience I had, listed below: I was once at a St. Louis grocery store, one of the higher dollar franchised companies from out of state touting fresh items, locally sourced, etc. I was in the meat department and was looking at the smoked meats items. They all had the words "Locally Made" on the labels. I asked the meat manager if they were made by Burgers, Double G, Miller (all great companies) or someone else locally.. He then said, "No, we have our processing smokehouses outside Denver, Colorado". I asked him, how could this be considered "Local", and his reply was: "Three states touching is "local". I asked him where that was defined, and if he considered 3 states touching as local, then what did he consider something made within 50 miles... Needless to say, I was quite frustrated that a company would risk taking advantage of a grey area, and mislead its customers like that. According to the USDA.gov web site, their loose definition is: "Local food is defined as the direct or intermediated marketing of food to consumers that is produced and distributed in a limited geographic area. There is no pre-determined distance to define what consumers consider “local,” but a set number of miles from a center point or state/local boundaries is often used." In a 78 page report on "Trends in US Local and Regional Food Systems" to congress, their definition of local identifies local as: View the Report Here What, exactly, do we mean by the term “local foods”? The definition of local food is complex, varying with purpose, geography, and data availability (Martinez et al., 2010). For some consumers, “localness” may not be based on distance, but rather on local ownership of the farm (Adams and Adams, 2011). For others, local food is associated with natural, organic, and other specialty foods marketed through DTC outlets, grocers and restaurants, and foodservice providers in institutions such as schools, universities, and hospitals. “Local and regional food systems” refers to place-specific clusters of agricultural producers of all kinds—farmers, ranchers, fishers—along with consumers and institutions engaged in producing, processing, distributing, and selling foods. Since neither term is well defined, the distinction between local and regional food systems is unclear; hence, these terms are often used interchangeably, as in this report. According to WikiPedia: "Local food is food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed, often accompanied by a social structure and supply chain different from the large-scale supermarket system." For Reference, I added two maps, one with the single ring is a 50 mile radius, and the one with two rings, shows 100 and 50 mile radius for reference. So, what are your thoughts?

I drove by a Steak & Shake today in south St. Louis today, and they were open for business... with a full parking lot. Some are still open

I personally prefer to have the bone in the steak. I've called them bone in ribeyes as well as rib steaks in the past. I agree with Larry, I know of two oder guys in my home town that will argue with you if you ever call it a bone in ribeye. Great Poll!!!

Proper Cold Storage: Most restaurants have dedicated coolers for their beverages, meats, fruits & vegetables. However, sometimes smaller restaurant / bars may not have the luxury of multiple coolers. Even beverage coolers used to store meats, when set at 32 degrees, can still get as high as 50 degrees inside, depending on the number of times the doors are opened. This fluctuation and increase in temperature is a huge negative effect on your fresh meat shelf life. Note below, the loss of 7 days shelf life, when temperatures climb from 32 to 37 degrees F on chicken. • The USDA reports that Fresh Chicken 🐓 when held at the listed temperatures, has a limited shelf life from pack date to spoilage: o 32 F 18 days to spoilage o 37 F 11 days to spoilage o 42 F 8 days to spoilage o 47 F 6 days to spoilage o 68F 2 days to spoilage • The USDA reports that Fresh Pork 🐖 🐖when held at the listed temperatures, has a limited shelf life from pack date to spoilage: o 31 F 14 days to spoilage o 36 F 9 days to spoilage o 41 F 5 days to spoilage I guess I had better keep a better eye on the kids when they stand at the fridge with the door open for 5 minutes... I'm turning my refrigerator down to 32, or as close to it as possible. 👍

Feast Magazine just did a great article on Wenneman Meat Company, and it's locally raised beef program. As someone who has worked for Wenneman for over 8 years, and a life time customer, this really shows just how important it is for Wenneman to offer quality products. I sell to wholesales customers of various categories and quantities. I compete with the conglomerate warehouse providers who also sell paper products, cooking ingredients, soaps, etc... I sell meat, and that's my focus. THANK YOU to all of my highly valued customers who have given me the opportunity to EARN their business, respect and friendships. Read the Article Here

It's interesting to see how many meat companies are now trying to get into the alternative "meat" market.

I can say that Bill is a highly accomplished chef. He's a great guy as well. I too had his cod last week and felt that the beer breading was some of the best I've ever had. The fries were perfectly fried and they have an addictive seasoning on them. I ate EVERYTHING on my tray. Great job Bill and Frankly Sausages on the RFT article and continued success!! 👏 🐟 🍟

Last two days left to register for this highly subscribed Webinar! This webinar will focus on how Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) food safety standards overlap or contrast with FDA food safety regulations and the different approaches taken by FDA and by some of the GFSI standards to ensuring the safety of the US food supply. Why Should You Attend: The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) are two facts of life facing food processors today. But what is legally required, and how does that compare to GFSI certification standards? This webinar will give you a high-level overview of the regulations and standards that will help you to know the difference and prioritize your limited resources in a way that will best benefit you and your company. FDA food safety regulations and GFSI food safety standards are often complementary, but they are not identical. GFSI certification is voluntary (although many retailers and manufacturers require it as a condition of doing business with them). Small companies may be particularly confused about what is mandatory for legal compliance and how that differs from the best practices specified in the GFSI standards. This webinar will present an overview of the different approaches taken by FDA and by some of the GFSI standards to ensuring the safety of the US food supply. Areas Covered: • The authorities • Different visions • Who must comply • GFSI standards categories • Good Manufacturing Practices (21 CFR 117 subpart B) • Preventive Controls (21 CFR 117 subpart C) • Supplier Approval (21 CFR 117 subpart G) • Intentional Adulteration rule (21 CFR 121) • Sanitary Transportation rule (21 CFR 1 subpart O) Webinar: The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Compared to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Schemes: Do I Really Have to Do This? | When: Thursday, Mar 7th | 10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT | Duration: 90 Minutes | Expert Trainer: Lisa Petro Register Now Lisa Petro has 30 years’ experience in food safety and quality, helping facilities in the US and internationally achieve compliance with FDA, state, USDC/NOAA Seafood Inspection Program, Department of Defense, BRC, and various customers’ food safety and quality standards. She has developed and implemented process and product standards, policies, and procedures related to quality, food safety, food labeling, sustainability, and environmental compliance (air and water quality). Her experience in Quality Assurance has also included conducting internal and second-party audits, training employees, and helping to facilitate commercialization of products. She has worked in government inspection, private industry, and as a food safety consultant. While focusing on seafood, she has also received certificates as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual for human food and as a trainer for the Produce Safety Alliance. Warm Regards, Sean Cooper Training Manager +1-866-978-0800 1180 Avenue of the Americas, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10036, United States.

Nationwide Market Reports according to various USDA web sites, market discussion, and a somewhat educated guess: Beef – Beef slaughter is down to approximately 577,000 from 596,000 the previous week. Prime grade back up to 9.30%, Choice 73.48%, Select 14.22%. Live weights averages were down 3 pounds at 1,368 lb average and dressed weights at 822 lb average Pork –. Pork slaughter under FIS-SJ LS710 was at 2,257,000 down from 2,362,000. Primal values appear to be going up on everything, except pork butts. Only slight changes, except for pork bellies which was roughly a 4% increase. Chicken – Weekly broiler-fryer slaughter under federal inspection for the week ending 02-Mar-19 is estimated to be 165,632,000 head up 3.39 percent from a week ago, and up 3.85 percent from a year ago. (Last week 160,194,000, last year 159,499,000)

Nationwide Market Report: As of 2 pm Friday Feb 22 Beef 🐄 – Beef slaughter is down to approximately 596,000 from 614,000 the previous week. Prime grade back up to 9.12%, Choice 73.88%, Select 14.20%. Live weights were in line with last week but down 3 pounds at 1,373 lb average and dressed weights at 824 lb average Pork 🐖 –. Pork slaughter under FIS-SJ LS710 was at 2,362,000. Primal values appear to be going down on butts, picnics, and bellies. Wenneman bacon prices are now reflecting the trend. Chicken 🐓 – Weekly broiler-fryer slaughter under federal inspection for the week ending 23-Feb-19 is estimated to be 163,498,000 head up 1.19 percent from a week ago, and up 0.76 percent from a year ago. (Last week 161,570,000, last year 162,267,000) Some chicken prices are expected to go up slightly in the short future. Information above obtained from various USDA web sites

For years, I have walked by the meat case at Wenneman Meat Co in St. Libory, IL. Finally, I decided to take a few home and smoke. WOW, was I surprised. Actually, I was frustrated that I hadn't bought them before. In all actuality, a country style rib is just a thick cut pork chop, but cut with a band saw through the bone and half of the pork loin center. I put my basic rub on the country style ribs and put them in the smoker for a couple hours at 225 degrees. I was so happy with the results. The pork loin section stayed moist, and the outer edges had the extra juiciness of pulled pork. I highly recommend you give them a shot sometime. I bet Country Style Ribs would be a HUGE hit with some of the smokehouses, since no one offers them. This would set them apart and be a great "special"

Where do I begin? First off, you have an award winning chef and his wife, both who understand the phrase "hard work", expect great results. Both Elisa and Rick Lewis have put their all into their new, (and very own) Grace Meat + Three restaurant in Tower Grove. Rick was able to get his hands on the old "Sweetie Pie's" restaurant on Manchester. This restaurant space was already a great space, but it needed TLC. Rick had the floors leveled and redone. They look great, showing age, but willing and ready to handle the masses that soon will pass through the door starting in weeks to come. So much of the building was left, but cleaned, refinished or painted, but the bar area was redone, and it looks great. The space will seat a lot of people, I apologize for not getting a number, but if you've been to a restaurant that Rick was running, you will agree that regardless of how many tables there are, they will be filled. The restaurant has two sides of windows, letting in so much natural light, and the space is just nice and open. The kitchen appears to have been completely redone, and ready for mass amounts of homestyle cooking for lots of happy customers. You also gotta love the old International 4100 Truck hood over the kitchen entrance. Well, now for the St. Louis Style Ribs review... Rick has been playing around with different items from day to day, fine tuning his equipment and processes. I was lucky enough to get sent home with a slab of St. Louis Style ribs. I didn't think they'd make it home, as they smelled too good in the car. I'll just say that my family should be proud of my restraint, so that they could have the opportunity to be some of the very first to ever have Grace Meat + Three's St. Louis Style Ribs... I warmed them up a bit in the oven, and dinner was served.... Drum Roll............... Many times, I'll have ribs that I take home, but they're too hot or has too much chili powder on them for my kids to enjoy. Well, you won't have that problem here... Rick has a great blend of rub on his ribs that was lightly sweet, it didn't taste like a mouth full of sugar. The smoke ring and flavor on the ribs was well balanced, you could taste the smoke AND the pork. By the time I warmed these up for my family, it was nearly 6 or 7 hours AFTER meeting with Rick and Elisa in the morning. They were still tender, and not dried out. My entire family LOVED the ribs, and look forward to the other meats, and all of the "+ Three" items as well. Elisa and Rick, you've done a great job so far. I have faith that you'll continue to do great, and we can hardly wait to eat there as a family. Thank you for the sneak peak (taste). Cheers, Joel I apologize... I don't have any photos to share, but follow the Grace Meat + Three on FB for updates. CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE TableGab.com main web site to read about other restaurants or chefs