Smithfield shutdown brings major increase in business to local butchers and meat processors

RAPID CITY, S.D. — All areas of life have been affected during this COVID-19 outbreak, and food is no exception.

With the shutting of the Smithfield Meat Plant, smaller plants and butchers now have a large void to fill, but there has been a huge boom in business as a result. Local butchers have found themselves with more work. Meat that would be sent to larger plants is now being distributed for processing locally. The big question, is how are these local butchers handling the massive increase. Owner of Spilde’s Quality Meats, Tanner Spilde said.

“It’s definitely been overwhelming down here. People coming in everyday, new faces saying how the grocery store shelves ran out, no one else in town has meat. Business has definitely picked up quite a bit since everything has come to the table.” 

Cutting Edge Meat Market has gone from producing between two and three hundred pounds of hamburger a week to now over one thousand pounds.

Max Deherrera, Sales Clerk for Cutting Edge Meat, said “We’re doing probably three times more business than we’ve been doing. That’s not really affecting our business other than increasing sales.”

Despite the increase in business, the shop still finds that their slaughter house in Piedmont is booked through July and August. Butchers encourage people to buy locally as it boosts the economy and provides the best quality meat.

“You’re not getting your meat through a big feed lot, you know where it’s coming from, it’s coming local. It’s all natural, all of our product in here is all natural. No antibiotic steroids, none of that.” said Deherrera

Cutting Edge Meat Market has opened a drive through and Spilde is now offering curbside delivery.