"Disruptions in normal activities due to COVID-19 have produced a surge in at-home food demand," stated Derrell Peel, OSU Extension Livestock marketing specialist. Recent reports indicate a 77 percent year-over-year increase in grocery meat sales in mid-March. Peel notes, "This spike in grocery demand has overwhelmed the retail meat supply chain resulting in temporary shortages of meat in many grocery stores."

These shortages are due to the tremendous logistical challenges of shifting meat supplies from food service channels to retail grocery channels. Regional distributors are not able to fil...