Frog is the only meat that we can eat fresh here, he said. I make eye contact with the shorter of the two Mexican men who made the sign of the cross. Beef cattle processed by Cargill in Canada also meets the transportation regulation requirements, which is 36 hours. In 1885, under growing pressure from local ranchers, the Kansas legislature banned Texas cattle from the state, bringing an abrupt end to the cattle drives that had fueled the towns boom years. At 3:42, I swipe my ID card at a time clock near my workstation. In one swift motion, he flipped over 30-pound slabs of chuck with the flick of his hook and pulled out ligaments from folds in the meat. Amanda is a writer with experience in various industries, including travel, real estate, and career advice. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The supervisors didnt seem to care; many of them did the same thing. The High Plains of southwestern Kansas are home to four major meatpacking plants: the two in Dodge City, plus one in Liberal (National Beef) and another near Garden City (Tyson Foods). He later gave me a white hard hat to replace the brown one that I had received during orientation. The HR rep told a similar story about a man whose sleeve got caught in a conveyor belt. Not too much! my supervisor yells when he catches me cutting off too much meat. Department holiday parties were canceled. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0d9eb80f911c20 Its balls to the wall, I overheard him say to contractors fixing a broken air conditioner. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. The Department of Labor assessed PSSI $15,138 for each minor-aged employee who was employed in violation of the law. Thats Genuinely Better. At the plant, additional plexiglass barriers were installed on the tables in the cafeteria, splitting them into quarters instead of halves. They have many locations across the US, especially in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, and Kentucky, which together employ over 21,000 people. 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The interview lasted three minutes. Beef retail prices rose 30% from the beginning of 2020, before pandemic lockdowns started, to a peak of $7.90 per pound in October, before declining slightly in November and December, according to . Hes good at business, he said when I asked him what he liked about Trump. Pasture-raised in East Texas on a 600+ acre ranch by knowledgeable ranchers, our beef is all-natural, ranch-raised, grass-fed, grain-finished, 100% growth-hormone-free and antibiotic-free. Before long, Billion spotted a frog at the edge of the water. As we made our way past the antelope exhibit, I asked Billion and Dahlia how they had chosen their sons names. I caught only four. Im telling you, Michael, he said. During the shift change that afternoon, I noticed few signs of celebration or disappointment. Their products include fresh pork, ham, sausages, deli meat, poultry, seafood, prepared foods, and meat-based snack foods. The most important tenet of the meatpacking industry is The chain never stops. Companies do everything they can to ensure that their production lines keep moving as fast as possible. Their main products, both for retail and wholesale, include fresh meats, sausages, seafood, and prepared foods. My job is to trim off whatever pieces of bone and ligament the chuck boners miss. There are tables for shank, brisket, sirloin, round, and so on. He rolled up his right sleeve to reveal a four-inch scar on the outside of his elbow. Grain Elevator. We need a president who will protect us. The online application for general production was six pages long. Their processing plants are located in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa and they employ nearly 9,000 people. Cargill Inc. is closing its Milwaukee slaughterhouse at 1915 W. Canal St., leading to the elimination of nearly 600 jobs almost immediately. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. You need to leave, he said. Hormel includes products under the Hormel name as well as their subsidiaries, like Applegate, Country Crock, Jennie-O, and Spam. Four hours and 20 minutes after hitting Submit, I received an email confirmation for a phone interview the next day, May 19, 2020. Take it slow, he told me after we switched spots. Beef Plant Locations - Google My Maps This map shows the locations of the top 5 beef packers in 2008. I did also meet people at the plant who supported Joe Biden, many of them because they couldnt stand Trump. My last shift at the plant was the night before Thanksgiving, some six months after Id started. If they ever leave, he said, referring to those who worked in the local meatpacking plants, wed be in a world of hurt. The man knew how important immigrants were to Dodge Citys economy, but he showed little interest in getting to know them personally. As time went on, he would turn to me to talk about his latest marital drama or to ask questions about traveling abroad. Its why I have a job., Over the next several weeks, Billion checked on me sporadically during my shifts, tapping me on the shoulder and asking, Doing good, Mike? before walking away. Toward the end of the shift, a palpable restlessness sets in across the floor. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. And everyone who didnt already have a plastic face shield was given one to attach to their hard hat. He thought for a few seconds and looked up at the ceiling. The most substantial part of the application was a 14-question form that asked things like: Do you have experience working with knives to cut meat (this does not include working in a grocery store or deli)?, How many years have you worked in a beef production plant (example: slaughter or fabrication, not a grocery store or deli)?, How many years have you worked in a production or plant environment (example: assembly line or manufacturing work)?. As such and in alignment with our Guiding Principles . The company runs over 330 distribution centers across almost all 50 states, plus some Canadian provinces. At Cargill, everyone matters and everyone counts. Considering the fact that up to 95% of Americans eat meat as a staple part of their diet, its clear that the meat industry plays such a huge role in peoples lives. Because he knew about the coronavirus and didnt do anything about it. New hires have a probation period of 45 days in which to prove that they can pull countto qualify, as its known at the Cargill plant. I find them depressing, largely because my childhood zoo, in Topeka, has a long and troubling animal-safety record. I knew that it was going to be a long week. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Yet delays do occur. National Beef Packing Co. Kansas City, MO. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The HR rep who was with us for most of those two days of orientation made sure we didnt forget that mission. We use She told me that she often treated injuries like mine. Maybe hell become a doctor or a lawyer someday. Whatever they grew up to be, Billion would never allow them to work in a meatpacking plant. The job requires both careful precision and brute strength: careful precision for cutting as close to the bones as possible, and brute strength for prying them out. Outside, the night air was frigid. May 13, 2020. Billion walked in front and caught most of the frogs, about 20 in total. I think thats good., Read: How meat producers have influenced nutrition guidelines for decades. According to court documents, a 14-year-old child who worked at a Nebraska facility from 11pm to 5am five to six days a week from December 2021 to April 2022, cleaned machines used to cut meat. I couldnt have stayed for much longer anyway; my shift was about to start. Its like oil and water, he said. He nods a satisfied nod, makes a pillow with his hands, and rests the side of his head against it with his eyes closed. He reached down to pick it up. Their specialties include fresh beef, fresh pork, sausages, ham, deli meat, lamb, and specialty game meats. One time, a woman in a yellow synthetic-rubber apron was trimming away flesh from skinless, decapitated heads. But, the woman told me, you work so hard that you dont feel the cold once youre in there.. The floor is a cacophony of industrial machinery. Dependability: Real-time inventory detail, box . The drive to Dodge City from Topeka, where I had been living with my mom since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, takes about four hours. Performance & security by Cloudflare. He does this every night to announce that the last side of beef has left the cooler. (AP) The slaughterhouse cleaning company that was found to be employing more than 100 children to help sanitize dangerous razor-sharp cutting equipment like bone saws has continued . 4 locations in. That Dodge City became home to two meatpacking plants is a fitting coda to the towns early history. When they are brought out for butchering, the sides are broken down into forequarters and hindquarters and then into smaller, marketable cuts of meat. As Billion later explained to me, the new moon was key to helping us avoid casting shadows over the easily spooked bullfrogs. Forced to quarantine at home for two weeks, Billion did his best to isolate himself from Shine and Dahlia, who was eight months pregnant at the time. 24, 2023, https://www.zippia.com/advice/largest-meat-companies/, restaurants, and other foodservice companies. Visitors can enjoy a sarsaparilla at the Long Branch Saloon or shop for handmade soap and homemade fudge at the Rath & Co. General Store. The largest meat company in the U.S. is Cargill Meat Solutions, with 2022 sales reaching $165 billion. To find it, I arrived early one day and worked my way backwards down the chain. The investigation discovered that children were working with hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat processing equipment including back saws, brisket saws and head splitters. Locations Locations for. On my way there, I walk past dozens of first-shift workers who are on their way out. And what did you do there? the woman asked about my time at the Church. Karen rebels were in the middle of a long insurgency against the countrys central government. It was an unseasonably warm day, and the mid-afternoon sun was melting what little snow remained from a recent winter storm. He told me that he dreamed of traveling abroad someday but that for now he needed to work to support his wife and two young children. Your IP: One alternative is to buy a pair of non-approved Bluetooth earbuds that I could hide underneath a neck gaiter. For many of my co-workers, oxycodone and hydrocodone were the painkillers of choice. The Cargill plant is on the southeastern outskirts of Dodge City, just down the road from a slightly larger meatpacking plant owned by National Beef. When I woke in the mornings, my fingers were so stiff and swollen that I could hardly bend them. Lymph nodes, he said. I had it just a few weeks ago.. Our products. A USDA inspector working next to her was doing something similar. Hang in there. When anyone asked how Id ended up working at the plant, my usual approach was to explain, truthfully, that I had been traveling in Asia when the pandemic hit and, after flying home, wanted a quick way to make money. I asked him what he was cutting. As protein demand increases and consumer tastes evolve, we're prepared to support you with: Consumer Insights: We uncover desired claims, usage applications, packaging preferences, basket size analysis, shopper perceptions, upcoming trends and more. I hurriedly trim the last piece of chuck as soon as it reaches me. He was 24 years old, and he told me that he planned to work at the plant until he could retire. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. I had been working at the plant for three weeks by then, and my hands constantly throbbed with pain. (Illinois Department of Natural Resources) When an estimated 29 million gallons of hog waste started pouring into the ditches and waterways around the slaughtering plant run by Cargill Meat. He moved to the U.S. when he was 18 years old, first to Houston and then to Garden City, where he went to work at the nearby Tyson plant. Billion was a patient teacher. 213.32.24.66 Your IP: Your IP: Their products include boxed beef, ground beef, fresh pork, bacon, poultry, lamb, seafood, meat-based snack foods, and even plant-based protein. Its easier to see whats coming down the line this way, and before long I start doing the same thing. Our program of interventions helps reduce surface contaminants. Across the way, hundreds of 53-foot refrigerated trailers sat in neat rows, waiting to be loaded with beef before being hauled away. It staggered breaks and installed plexiglass barriers on tables in the cafeteria and thick plastic curtains between workstations on the production line. He did this for about half a minute without saying a word. When the woman conducting it asked me for the name of my last employer, I told her that it was the First Church of Christ, Scientist, the publisher of The Christian Science Monitor. He was carrying a large styrofoam cup of coffee and a bag of Bimbo puff pastries. Im wearing an old cotton T-shirt, Levis jeans, wool socks, and Timberland steel-toed boots that I got for 15 percent off with my Cargill ID at a local shoe store. On my 20th day on the line, he drew me aside to sign some paperwork that made it official. GPS systems on many trucks provide continuous tracking. The facility's 3,000 employees only process family-raised, corn-fed Black Angus beef for the meatpacking industry. Money! The plant also hired a company called Examinetics to screen employees before each shift. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to Our Locations. And the responsibility of being an industry leader demands a relentless dedication to peerless service, day in and day out. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. For the next seven decades, Dodge City remained a quiet farming community. Click to reveal On the Monday after the election, the news reported that the U.S. had surpassed 10 million coronavirus cases, and Pfizer-BioNTech announced that early data showed their vaccine was more than 90 percent effective. New cases were hitting record numbers, hospitals were strained for resources, and deaths were on the rise. Hormel is also a large meat producer globally, with exports and locations in Australia, Canada, Japan, Brazil, China, the Philippines, Panama, and South Korea. Not that I mind. Most of the men eventually got used to my presence on the line. Then he yelled, Im voting for Biden! as he walked away. Someone else must have been out here already, Billion said, pointing down at a pair of fresh shoe prints. Now there are states that want to go back toward that direction to deal with labor shortages by using teens, even to the extent of placing them in dangerous work environments [it] doesnt make sense. Cargill sells to both consumers directly through grocery stores and also to third-party food companies for wholesale. If Biden wins, I think ISIS will be happy. Then there was the man from Sudan who said that he, too, admired Trumps business credentials before leaning in to tell me why else he liked him. He smelled of marijuana. Billion had picked Clever with more concrete aspirations in mind. Canada. Several other children were also reported to have suffered from chemical burns. 195.201.80.58 The 8 Largest Television Set Producers In The World, The 10 Largest Pharmaceutical Companies in the US, The 15 Largest Soda Companies In The World, Zippia. Credit: Michael Sears July 30, 2014 Hormel is a popular meat company whose products are mostly directly sold to consumers, making it a household name. According to Stull, the boom started in the early 1980s with the arrival of refugees from Vietnam and migrants from Mexico and Central America. Like National Beef, they only produce one type of meat: chicken. Or maybe he had never lost it. Rhino! Giraffe! Fox! Lions! He was in awe of the animals, which made me wonder what he knew about where his dad worked. A typical shift last summer: I pull into the plants parking lot at 3:20 p.m. JBS USA is the American offshoot of Brazilian meat producers JBS S.A. Across all of the JBS operations, they are the largest meat producer in the world. National Beef is somewhat unique to this list since they work exclusively with beef products instead of producing a wide variety of meats. The work itself had become muscle memory, and I spent much of the night lost in thought. The tables are one of the most crowded areas in the plant. Founded in 1872 along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Dodge City was originally an outpost for buffalo hunters. The kill floor is to the left; fab is straight ahead, on the opposite side of the plant. By the Fourth of July, I was close enough to pulling count that Billion told me I qualified. In March, the plant started to implement a series of social-distancing measures, including some that had been recommended by the CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Apr. Three days after the incident occurred, the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service, citing the plants history of compliance, put the plant on notice for its failure to prevent inhumane handling and slaughter of livestock. FSIS ordered the plant to create an action plan to ensure that such an incident didnt happen again. Performance & security by Cloudflare. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. Others crane their neck, as if theyre trying to see whats ahead. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. But first is the cooler, where sides of beef are left to hang for an average of 36 hours after they leave the kill floor. Because you guys want to eat, right? Everyone nodded. We make it a priority to deliver on time. Farbest Foods' processing plants are in Huntingburg and Vincennes, Indiana. On the wholesale side, they provide meat for companies like Burger King, Kroger, and Walmart. The company employs about 20,000 people across a handful of locations in the US. She started having difficulty breathing a few days later. The virus likes to lodge in your throat, and the whiskey will help keep your throat clear. As long as they leave me alone, I dont care who wins, a Mexican American man told me over dinner in late October. The oppressive heat only made it worse. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Billion was hoping for a girl; Dahlia didnt have a preference. Billion lifted Shine onto his shoulders to give him a better view, while Dahlia kept an eye on Clever in his stroller. He had more important things to worry about. I thought that together we had a good haul, but Billion and Leo were disappointed. You know why I dont like Trump? he asked me during our 15-minute break one night. 85 locations in. Privacy Policy. I found out later that he was performing a routine check for diseases and contamination. Then I went to Florida and I was fine. I looked at her incredulouslythen went for something even stronger, splurging on a bottle of 114-proof Willett. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. The processor which had the largest number of employed minors. 185.116.194.209 "The 12 Largest Meat Companies In The United States" Zippia.com. Either way, this wasnt supposed to happen. They have locations in over 20 states and employ around 80,000 people. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The states in which the children were employed include Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas. Shine had been Dahlias idea. During the third week of August, metal dividers suddenly appeared in the mens bathrooms, providing workers with a bit of space (and privacy) at the stainless-steel urinal troughs. The latter got a couple of responses: fok you and chinga tu madre. Trump doesnt give a shit about us, he concluded. Thrive Facebook Twitter YouTube Cargill.com Jobs by Category Jobs by Location Jobs by Group Terms & Conditions Included in her experience is work at an employer/intern matching startup where she marketed an intern database to employers and supported college interns looking for work experience. The temperature on the fab floor ranges from 32 to 36 degrees. Billion motioned for me to stop working. On my last trip to the stack, I tried to be inconspicuous. star. As of 2016, they had over 50,000 employees across all of their global operations. Across the street is a small pasture. Hes crazy was the most common sentiment expressed by those who wanted Trump to lose. On June 4, the agency approved a plan submitted by the plants manager and said in a letter to him that it would defer a decision about punishment. Your IP: On Election Day, I drove to a polling station south of downtown. Automated retrieval, palletization and loading minimize human errors. He then mimes opening a can of beer. (In early May, the plants production output had fallen by about 50 percent, according to a text message sent by Cargills director of state-government affairs to Kansass secretary of agriculture, which I later obtained through a public-records request.) Like Koch Foods, Sanderson Farms focuses exclusively on poultry products. Money!. Money! All Rights Reserved. She let this sink in for a few moments, before moving on to the next PowerPoint slide: Thats a good transition into workplace violence. She began explaining Cargills zero-tolerance policy on guns. Cargill is committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive and diverse work environment where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. He told me that the key was to cut off as little meat as possible. In 1980, a subsidiary of Cargill opened its plant down the road. Right now Im trying to work on my credit, he said. It should heal in a few days, the nurse said after she wrapped a bandage around the resulting half-inch-long gash. Conagra also produces many non-meat products, but theyre best known for their meat-producing brands like Banquet, Dukes, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, Hungry-Man, Kid Cuisine, Marie Callenders, Slim Jim, and Van de Kamps. Click to reveal I asked what I needed to do. Many people I talked with in the weeks leading up to November 3 told me the results hardly mattered to them. All rights reserved. Kansas public-health records reveal that over the course of 2020, more than 600 of the plants 2,530 employees contracted COVID-19. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. Looking back on my time at the plant, I consider myself lucky to have ended up in the nurses office only once. The door is always open. I didnt doubt that, but I knew that I would likely never step foot inside the plant again. At least three minors suffered injuries while working for PSSI, one of the countrys largest food safety sanitation service providers. It was surreal to see the slaughter process in reverse, to witness step-by-step what it would take to reassemble a cow: shove its organs back into its body cavities; reattach its head to its neck; pull its hide back over its flesh; draw blood back into its veins. High River, Calgary - "Grim Reapers" holding scythes with the message "Slaughterhouses Kill Animals and Workers" on them will be outside the High River Cargill slaughterhousewhich is showing no mercy for animals or workers by reopening, even though nearly 900 employees (nearly 25% .