To our farmer-members: 2020 Reflections, 2021 Opportunities and Future Plans

Mar 30, 2021

BURLINGTON, ON – On March 25, 2021, Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) hosted our Virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) – the virtual platform being one of the ways we continue to work differently during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With over 300 of our farmer-members, allied industry and government partners participating in the virtual meeting, the AGM was an excellent way to learn about and discuss opportunities, issues, and future plans for the Ontario chicken industry.

The meeting themes, Responsible, Resilient, Recover, and Deliver and Transform, demonstrate how CFO is working with farmers and industry to continue to understand and manage COVID-19’s challenges and impacts and how the resiliency of our supply management business model continues to prove effective and successful.

Source : CFO

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.