Meat processing plant recovering from silo collapse
By Michael S. Hoey
Sorg’s Quality Meats and Sausages in Darien will be back, owner John M. Sorg said Monday night, just over a week after a silo collapsed and crushed much of the meat processing portion of the business. While the store has remained open, it has been at a reduced capacity.
“We are going to come back,” he promised.
“We will keep working at it and will get caught up eventually,” Steve Sorg added. “We just need people to be patient.”
Steve Sorg was in the building during the Oct. 25 collapse that happened about 4 p.m., though not in the part of the building that was damaged. Thankfully, no one was in that area when the silo – full of corn – collapsed onto the back of the building. Steve said he and five or six others were working in another room when someone came in and told them the silo was collapsing. The store was closed to the public at the time.
“Nobody got hurt, that was the main thing,” John said.
Steve said the process of it falling was slow at first – making the silo look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa – but by then there was nothing that could be done to stop it. Once it got to a certain point, it then fell rapidly into the building. He said the 70-foot tall silo had been filled four feet shy of full just two weeks prior to its collapse since it’s harvest season.
It was emotional for the family and Steve said his uncle, co-owner Andy Sorg, cried when he found out, the first time he had seen Andy cry about anything.
The cause of the collapse is unknown but the age of the silo was suggested as a possible factor by the insurance company, the men said. The silo was built not long after the business was established in 1958.
“The main question we had after was, how are we going to help the farmers?” Steve said.
He said area farmers were already having a hard time getting their animals to market.
John said all of the area meat processing facilities are booked just as Sorg’s was booked for the season.
“We are trying to figure out what we can cut up every week,” Steve said. “Once we have a baseline, we will know what we can do.”
They said they will try their best to honor commitments made to local fundraisers but their ability to fulfill those commitments will likely be on a case-by-case basis.
The store was undamaged and remains open, though at a reduced capability. The business lost its main cutting area and has had to convert a cooler into a makeshift cutting area. To make up for the loss of cooler space, two refrigerated semis were brought in. Several machines – including a $74,000 patty machine and a $30,000 bacon slicer – were lost along with meat that had been cut for customers. The refrigeration units that were lost included a couple brand new units that had been installed just two months ago.
As of Monday evening, the insurance company had visited the business once since the silo fell. The agent told John that the damage was too big for him to process himself and he would have to bring in his supervisor, which had not yet happened as of Monday, so the Sorgs don’t yet have a figure for the damage.
The timeline for repairs could be anywhere from six months to a year. Andy and John were told construction companies are looking for work right now but the problem is in getting the necessary materials. Andy said the priority is getting the damaged building covered up.
The inside, which he described as a total loss, will have to wait.
Steve said business had been good because of the pandemic as people have been continually stocking up on meat in case things get shut down. Andy agreed, saying it had been busy since March and reminded him of the Richard Nixon Watergate days when the government put a freeze on meat prices that led to people running out and stocking up.
“I give a lot of credit to my cousin’s son,” Steve said. “At his young age (22), he has taken on a lot of responsibility.”
Sorg was referring to John A. Sorg, the nephew of John M. Sorg. Steve said the younger Sorg has really stepped up in helping to ensure the facility continues to run efficiently under the new conditions.
Andy said several local farmers came in and made some sizable donations when they heard what had happened.
“A lot of them have known us from way back and don’t want to see us stop,” Andy said.
“We want to keep going,” John added.
Steve said the community can help out simply by understanding and being patient. He said the business might not be able to deliver as quickly right now.
“We will do the best we can,” John said.
