Think butcher

Just outside of New Plymouth, Idaho Bison Rancher Chase Shoemaker runs a relatively small operation and operations like his are too small for larger meat processing plants.

“The big facilities in my opinion they’re great for big producers, but when you have a smaller producer like myself, others around here where we don’t process 1,000 a day or we don’t process a 1,000 a year or 10,000 a year, whatever it is, we process 40 to 50 to 100 a year, we have to have those custom plants like Northwest,” said Shoemaker.

Northwest Premium Meats is a small meat processor in Nampa, one of only a handful in the area that cater to smaller producers like Shoemaker.

“Definitely a shortage of butcher shop facilities and employees. I’m very fortunate to have butcher spots at that butcher facility down there. But the average person couldn’t call up there and get butcher spots in the next year and a half. They kind of have their customers down there and that’s who they butcher for. And then the other butcher shops around here locally are booking out for the previous season next year. Some places are 14, 15 months out now if you want to process animals down there. So, a huge shortage of facilities and employees as well,” said Shoemaker.