By JOHN LIPPMAN
Valley News Business Writer
As sides of beef are moved into the packaging room from the cooler, Marilyn Smith cuts steaks for a customer at Vermont Packinghouse in North Springfield, Vt., last week. The plant processes over 150 head of cattle and 200 hogs each week. “We’re a small plant in a big world,” plant manager Will Mitchell said. Valley News — Geoff Hansen
Kacey Knight says she typically hears two kinds of reactions from people when they learn she’s a supervisor on the “kill floor” at Vermont Packinghouse slaughterhouse in North Springfield, Vt.
“It’s either ‘Oh, really?’ or ‘I don’t want hear about that,’ ” Knight said.
Some people are surprised she has a job often thought of as men’s work (she oversees an eight-man crew). Others don’t want to know what goes on inside the 30,000-square-foot plant that slaughters cows and hogs and packages meat.
For the latter, Knight has a ready reply.
“I always say, ‘Where do you think your food comes from?’ ” Knight said.
With several of the country’s largest beef and pork processing facilities shut down after COVID-19 infections spread among plant workers, Knight’s question is more pertinent than ever. The demand for meat has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, as has a desire for food that is locally sourced and raised.
Indeed, the meat business is bearing a heavy plate right now.
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