Do you ever wonder where your unfinished meal goes after being thrown away?
Packing landfills around the country, 72 billion pounds of food goes to waste each year according to Feeding America.
One Las Vegas farmer decided there are better and more sustainable ways to dispose of uneaten food. Pioneered by Robert Combs, recycling food scraps came to Las Vegas in 1963 with RC Farms and flourished alongside the growing city. Using state-of-the-art systems to convert food scraps into livestock feed, it quickly proved as a viable solution to this growing problem.
After shutting down in 2017, RC Farms was taken over by his two sons James Combs and Clint Combs. With a successful recycling company underneath them, they utilized "Combs Brothers" to help retrieve food scraps from casinos and hotels all around Las Vegas, including large clients such as the Venetian and Mandalay Bay.
They then rebranded themselves as Las Vegas Livestock, as well as changed their location. With farming comes manure and the Las Vegas residents were not a fan of the smell this growing operation was putting off so close to home, so they relocated on the outskirts of town.
With a new location came room to grow, and that is what they did! With pens and shelters over 18,000 square feet each, they could now house around 4,000 pigs. Pigs are allowed to roam freely indoors and outdoors, along with food and water being available at all times. To kill off food-borne pathogens, the food is compiled into a tank and heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes and then cooled before being fed to the pigs.
Social Media Impact
Nestled in the mountains of northern Las Vegas, the operation was closed off from the public and not many people were aware of the great work being done at Las Vegas Livestock. They then published a website as well as created a Facebook and Instagram. This way they could interact with clients, everyday customers, and the general public.
Shortly after, they were also able to add to the business by raising cage-free chickens. They utilized their social media to spread awareness and this developed into a mobile egg distribution unit.
Onset of Covid-19
When Covid-19 hit the industry as a whole was greatly affected but Las Vegas specifically hit extremely hard. The casinos were empty and the restaurants were closed, leaving food scraps to a minimum. Las Vegas Livestock was unfortunately forced to sell more than half of their inventory in the first few months due to lack of food.
Where there is a will there is a way though and James Combs worked tirelessly to find new ways to bring in revenue and keep the farm alive. Subsequently, came the depackaging machine, allowing for store bought food to be taken out of its container and put back in its original state in a few steps. For example, expired food or food that has been on the shelf for a long period of time can be thrown in fully packaged and comes out as nutritious pig food.
With the hog operation up and running they decided to open up their doors more to the public versus just processing plants. Using their social media and website to advertise, they began offering different cuts of meat, from a whole pig to an individual cut.
They installed a butcher shop and made it so customers could customize their cuts of meat to ensure they are getting what they want and need. This guarantees people are satisfied, and they are receiving high quality meat that was raised humanely and sustainably.
Spreading the Word
Without social media Las Vegas Livestock would not even be on the map. However, I do believe there are certain aspects they could improve to increase business and gain clients.
Many of the instagram posts focus on the humane treatment of the pigs which is important to society and their views of agriculture. However, as the company switches over to focus on more of their meat marketing I think concentrating on the overall picture and how they are helping save the planet could increase following and get them the attention they need.
Recycling this way helps reduce methane, overall food waste, and turn it over to feed people. Therefore, focusing on this could get more than just farmers to support them and more of the general public.
More operations like this could help save our planet and keep our agricultural community thriving! Support your fellow farmers by giving them a like and a follow on Instagram and Facebook! If you want to learn more or even place an order visit https://www.lasvegaslivestock.com/ !
Hailey Kennedy
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