HUMPHREY - Jim Pillen said he's run Pillen Family Farms in Humphrey since the '80s and that he's never seen anything like the economic impact this pandemic is having.

“All of us that have been around awhile have gone through some extraordinary times, but needless to say, there’s nothing close to what all of us are experiencing now,” Pillen said.

Pillen didn't want to say how many hogs he's had to euthanize, but that it's a lot.

“I don’t like adjectives, but we’ve had to do a lot," he said.  "It’s been really, really tough on all of us affiliated with it.”

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, who was in town on Friday, said he's heard other stories of how the pandemic has hurt the livestock and meat-packing markets.

“Coronavirus hitting the meat-packing industry and then that creating a backlog of a choke point for livestock slaughter on top of already-distressed markets,” Fortenberry said.

He said things are slowly on their way to normalizing, but that farmers and ranchers needed help.

"There’s a $20 billion package that’s been unveiled," Fortenberry said.  "Nearly $20 billion of expenditures that will go for direct support to farmers and ranchers, as well as about $3 billion for those that have food insecurity so that we are not wasting any food.  "We are moving the logistics so that can be packaged up and given to those in need.”

As for a second round of stimulus checks, Fortenberry said he needs to see whether or not the first round is working well.

He said he will continue to negotiate the possibility of another relief package.

“All of that money hasn’t been spent yet," Fortenberry said.  "We need to see how it’s working and continue to evaluate."

Pillen agreed, but said it's also critical that people get back to work as soon as possible.

“For everybody up and down the street, I think it’s important…that the aid helps everybody get there," Pillen said.  "But not so much aid that people are disincentivized to get to work.”