ST. PAUL, Minn. – Many American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) members and their families attended last week’s 73rd American Convention of Meat Processors & Suppliers Exhibition in downtown St. Paul at the Crowne Plaza River Centre adjacent to the Mississippi River.

There were a wide range of topics covered during program sessions ranging from wild game processing to selecting casings for frankfurter applications to surviving a natural disaster. The annual American Cured Meat Championships also took place as well as several meat-processing and cutting demonstrations, among other events. But there’s no doubt the talk on the convention floor among many exhibitors from the get-go was about the upcoming presidential election on Nov. 6.

In discussions with exhibitors about the status of their business, one processing equipment exhibitor replied, “Business has been good, but we have customers holding back on buying equipment [and supplies] until after the election.”

One by one, other exhibitors echoed similar comments, intimating they strongly felt a change in administration in Washington, DC would once again open up the capital-spending flood gates.

“No one wants to spend too much money [on equipment, supplies, hiring employees, etc.] because they don’t know what’s going to happen under the current administration,” another exasperated exhibitor said.

Still, the overall mood at the convention was upbeat as another exhibitor pointed out, “Everyone still has to eat ... and people still love meat.”