Meat shortages led by the COVID-19 pandemic and now by issues in the supply chain could be a thing of the past with Oklahoma farmers bridging the gap. “Typically, you can find some more options shopping locally,” said Meriruth Cohenour, with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. “There is also a great benefit to your community. You are supporting your neighbors.”A need to connect shoppers with farming is part of the reason why Outwest Farms exists, said Jake Miller, with Outwest Farms.”The main reason Outwest Farms even exists is we saw customers needed somewhere to go to have a connection with the farmer versus going to the store, pulling a thing off the shelf and checking out not knowing how it got there,” Miller said. Outwest Farms, which is family-owned in Pawnee, has been building a relationship with those wanting a better way to buy meat. The farm also offers delivery. “On an average week, we get 30 to 40 orders, and that’s pretty good,” Miller said. “If we had the customers for it, we could take care of all the OKC and Tulsa area.”But farmers are not immune to supply chain issues, leading to creative solutions.”Some have had to halt to find packaging, but they are getting creative to get some supply out there,” Cohenour said. “But we are seeing the protein supply chain issue where it takes a long time to get an animal processed.”The next time you’re in the grocery store and can’t find what you need, you can look local. If nearby farms don’t have it, make a call and plant a seed for the future.”We encourage conversations between consumers and producers so they can understand what the consumers demand,” Cohenour said. “So, the sky’s the limit even if it’s not available now. See if they will plant something for the future.””If you get it from the store, you have no connection to who raised the animals, who took care of the processing. We take care of every step until it gets to your plate,” Miller said.
Meat shortages led by the COVID-19 pandemic and now by issues in the supply chain could be a thing of the past with Oklahoma farmers bridging the gap.
“Typically, you can find some more options shopping locally,” said Meriruth Cohenour, with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. “There is also a great benefit to your community. You are supporting your neighbors.”
A need to connect shoppers with farming is part of the reason why Outwest Farms exists, said Jake Miller, with Outwest Farms.
“The main reason Outwest Farms even exists is we saw customers needed somewhere to go to have a connection with the farmer versus going to the store, pulling a thing off the shelf and checking out not knowing how it got there,” Miller said.
Outwest Farms, which is family-owned in Pawnee, has been building a relationship with those wanting a better way to buy meat. The farm also offers delivery.
“On an average week, we get 30 to 40 orders, and that’s pretty good,” Miller said. “If we had the customers for it, we could take care of all the OKC and Tulsa area.”
But farmers are not immune to supply chain issues, leading to creative solutions.
“Some have had to halt to find packaging, but they are getting creative to get some supply out there,” Cohenour said. “But we are seeing the protein supply chain issue where it takes a long time to get an animal processed.”
The next time you’re in the grocery store and can’t find what you need, you can look local. If nearby farms don’t have it, make a call and plant a seed for the future.
“We encourage conversations between consumers and producers so they can understand what the consumers demand,” Cohenour said. “So, the sky’s the limit even if it’s not available now. See if they will plant something for the future.”
“If you get it from the store, you have no connection to who raised the animals, who took care of the processing. We take care of every step until it gets to your plate,” Miller said.
