Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[The Moonshiner]

It's not like we can run out and get jobs right now anyway.

You can get a job in my area if you want one.
All the grocery stores are desperately trying to hire.
Wal-Mart is hiring. My mom works there and they have her working 60 hours a week now.
Amazon facility is trying to hire.
There's jobs here for someone that really wants one.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Refrigeration at food banks wouldn't solve the fresh food crisis we have now. It's not the farmer or the end consumer who have issues, it's the middle men - the milk processors, the vegetable canneries, the livestock processors, the markets, If they don't have the staff to work, it doesn't matter how much food the farmers produce - food can't be moved along the supply chain.

It's not just a matter of "if you can't bottle the milk, make cheese" or "If you can't send the chickens to the processing plant, give them to the poor." Refitting any sort of food processing plant takes time and money ... and while that's being done, food safety dates expire so ... food gets dumped/destroyed/trashed. And for livestock, how many of "the poor" know how to process a live chicken, anyway? And how many could do it humanely?

We have gotten too far away from our food sources. And because of that distance, we have many, many regulations to maintain the safety of our food as it moves through the chain. If any small part of the process bottlenecks or breaks, the whole thing falters. It will be interesting - and probably a bit frightening - to see how this pandemic changes the way we handle and distribute food, not just to the needy, but to all of us. Let's hope we can all learn and adapt, so everybody wins in the end.

**raises hands**
Don't shoot the messenger.... just passing on what I saw/heard re: food banks.

I used to run a small homestead and I grew and produced for Farmer's Markets. Plus have a kiddo who is allergic to so many things that we can't steadily rely on typical food supply chains like most do anyway..... it's part of the reason why we have traveled a more self-sustaining journey.
So much is wrong with how food is grown/raised and then produced in this country to begin with and I'm well aware of the limitations when the system is unduly stressed.
I'm still saddened though. Saddened that there wasn't a lot of forethought given to "what if." Saddened that while we (civilization) have known about pandemics for many years we haven't done a whole lot to change our ways so that when this hit, and the supply chain get's broken (for all the various reasons) we still don't have a plan.

And I wholeheartedly agree...we (general we) need to get back to understanding where our food comes from and how produce more of it ourselves. Or at least remodel things so that the farmer and consumer can connect more easily and cut out some of the middle man.

 

[MROO]

So Covid-19 is probably why I even know about this site. Crazy really, but I became worried over possible food shortages and decided to change a few things around that could help us self sustain..one of which led to chickens! I didn’t know how much I would like these creatures whatsoever, but I’m a possible addict! I first read about different breeds and which lay a bunch of eggs and decided white leghorns is what I’m on the hunt for. I planned on 20 chicks. Well, TS had a limit of 8 per breed (apparently I wasn’t the only one with my idea lol). So I bought my 8 white leghorn pullets and ended up choosing 8 Welsummer straight run after overhearing what cool dark brown eggs they lay and how friendly/ docile they are so what the heck! Then I became worried the leghorns would be wild and crazy so I read some more and became determined to tame them. That’s where mealworms came in (they became my instant friends..caught on quick!) But while buying the worms, TS had a batch of Amberlinks and a limit of 5 so there I went home with some more pullets! Fast forward 10 more days, I’m at Rural King buying chicken wire and they are loaded completely up with chicks! Well I see the other breed I was after because of all of the researching I’ve been doing and there’s 2 varieties: Colombian and Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. I wanted Golden Laced, but hey this BLR version sounds cool so I bought 6 straight run and home I went. Then I researched the breed and I was wowed by them so I went back and bought 6 more! I seemed to have a bunch of lightish colored ones so after a long time reading and searching, I learned about splash, black, blue. I said ut oh..I have mostly splash...so I went back and bought the 6 darkest ones to even the flock out I’ve lost my freaking mind, but I love these things! I’m cleaning pasty butt, putting probiotics in clean water daily with electrolytes. I check them constantly and even separated a couple out to their own spot when I thought they seemed slower than the others...put honey in their water and more probiotics after that..a couple days and back to group. So far so good, but I’m dang lucky because I live on a horse farm and luckily I have all kinds of room..2 fully closed horse stalls off on their own never being used plus a chicken coop the size of a stall 12 x 12. And now I refurbished the kids trampoline for a daytime area for the teenage chicks that I can move around. But yes, I’m definitely pretty much crazy lol #Covid19hasanupside

Yup! You're hooked! The first lesson (actually two combined) is always:
Go bigger than expected, because ... CHICKEN MATH!!!!!
Welcome aboard the Crazy Train! It's a great place to be!

 

[MROO]

You can get a job in my area if you want one.
All the grocery stores are desperately trying to hire.
Wal-Mart is hiring. My mom works there and they have her working 60 hours a week now.
Amazon facility is trying to hire.
There's jobs here for someone that really wants one.

Here, too (Maryland,) but they want people to either work the warehouse (heavy lifting) or high-exposure frontline workers (cleaning carts so they can protect their trained staff.) It's tough choice for many people, especially if they're older and/or high risk, or have someone close at home who's in that boat. Hopefully, the virus' hold on everything will start loosening up, at least a little, soon.

 

[Beer can]

You can get a job in my area if you want one.
All the grocery stores are desperately trying to hire.
Wal-Mart is hiring. My mom works there and they have her working 60 hours a week now.
Amazon facility is trying to hire.
There's jobs here for someone that really wants one.

The need for workers for those places and is country wide and will be until this is over I'd say. For one people are scared and two those that were able to get on unemployment are making way more not working. My wife is one of them. Was on unemployment when Kmart closed here before this started, she was only getting $240 week on unemployment and since they added $600 has been getting $840. She's not going to take a job at less than half that and neither will anyone else in the same situation. Tons of truck driving jobs needed also. Part of the prob of the whole food conundrum right now. Some food plants can't get products to the stores over it. One of the big dairy companies don't remember what one(Byrnes or Dean's) trucking company that hauls their products needs 700 drivers just in NY.
I know a lot of people that work at Chobani Greek yogurt here, same thing there full warehouse. Things still moving just not at the normal flow which slows down the whole process resulting in more dumped milk.

 

[MROO]

**raises hands**
Don't shoot the messenger.... just passing on what I saw/heard re: food banks.

I used to run a small homestead and I grew and produced for Farmer's Markets. Plus have a kiddo who is allergic to so many things that we can't steadily rely on typical food supply chains like most do anyway..... it's part of the reason why we have traveled a more self-sustaining journey.
So much is wrong with how food is grown/raised and then produced in this country to begin with and I'm well aware of the limitations when the system is unduly stressed.
I'm still saddened though. Saddened that there wasn't a lot of forethought given to "what if." Saddened that while we (civilization) have known about pandemics for many years we haven't done a whole lot to change our ways so that when this hit, and the supply chain get's broken (for all the various reasons) we still don't have a plan.

And I wholeheartedly agree...we (general we) need to get back to understanding where our food comes from and how produce more of it ourselves. Or at least remodel things so that the farmer and consumer can connect more easily and cut out some of the middle man.

Sorry if that sounded like an attack on anyone - it certainly wasn't meant that way. I know you "get it," @snapdragon. Most of us here, do. We all have a lot to learn, or should I say "relearn," about how the bigger picture goes together - not just our leaders, ALL of us! My biggest and best hope for this mess is that we'll come to a better understanding of ourselves and our neighbors - both right next door and across the globe - and how all of us fit together.

 

[Beer can]

Our plant has been slow for a few yrs now. Every so many weeks they ramp up production fill the pipeline and then lay us all off for a week. Makes more sense then running three or four days a week (we are guaranteed 40hrs) Been super busy since this carp started but slowed back down now. Next week plantwide shutdown. They always have at least a dozen job openings, taken by most senior employees. I checked the sign up sheets, one person, old guy that always works. They'll have to fill the jobs with lowest seniority this time, unemployment paying $1,000 to take it off.

 

[The Moonshiner]

The need for workers for those places and is country wide and will be until this is over I'd say. For one people are scared and two those that were able to get on unemployment are making way more not working. My wife is one of them. Was on unemployment when Kmart closed here before this started, she was only getting $240 week on unemployment and since they added $600 has been getting $840. She's not going to take a job at less than half that and neither will anyone else in the same situation. Tons of truck driving jobs needed also. Part of the prob of the whole food conundrum right now. Some food plants can't get products to the stores over it. One of the big dairy companies don't remember what one(Byrnes or Dean's) trucking company that hauls their products needs 700 drivers just in NY.
I know a lot of people that work at Chobani Greek yogurt here, same thing there full warehouse. Things still moving just not at the normal flow which slows down the whole process resulting in more dumped milk.

Ya my brother go laid off from a transmission shop. They're still open but lack of work got over half laid off. He doesn't get the extra $600 but still draws the same as when he worked.
Because of the virus scare he has been down at the lake in a friends lake house. Fishing and bitching all day. I work and make less then he draws so I'm not wanting to hear it.
My sister got her stimulus check for her and her kids. Went out and blew it on stupid st!t and is now crying that she can't find no place that will help (by help she means pay them for her.) With all her utilities. I didn't qualify for a stimulus check so didn't recieve one.
Not to keen on hearing her whining either.
My mom raised to believe if someone wants to work there's ALWAYS a job out there.
Seems I'm the only one of us that listened.

 

[featherhead007]

I ain't got no job neither.

I am surprised no one mentioned this.

https://nypost.com/2020/04/16/2-million-chickens-will-be-slaughtered-over-coronavirus-staff-issues/

Who is going to, and how can they, compensate for the innocent lives of millions of birds just wanting to live and be happy?

 

[CleverTwist]

Nice!
And they’re all straight run? Lots of extra Roos for the freezer!

The Amberlinks and white leghorns are pullets. The welsummers look to have 6 of 8 pullets, but we shall see! The BLRWs are the big ? Could be some freezer bound birds in there, but I should love them all up til we know for sure and try not to be sad..circle of life!