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Agri-food supply chains in North America have become remarkably efficient, supplying an unprecedented variety of items at the lowest possible cost. However, the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the near-total temporary loss of the foodservice distribution channel, exposed a vulnerability that many found surprising. Instead of continued shortages, however, the agri-food sector has since moved back to near normal conditions with prices and production levels similar to those typically observed in years prior to the pandemic. Ironically, the specialization in most food supply chains designed for “just-in-time” delivery to specific customers with no reserve capacity, which led to the initial disruptions, may have also been responsible for its rapid rebound. A common theme in assessing the impacts across the six commodities examined is the growing importance of understanding the whole supply chain. Over the longer term, a continuation of the pandemic could push the supply chain toward greater consolidation of firms and diversification of products given the increasing option value of maintaining flexibility. Other structural changes will be felt through input markets, most notably labour, as the trend toward greater automation will continue to accelerate as a response to meeting concerns about a consistent supply of healthy and productive workers. The economic fall out from the pandemic may lead to greater concentration in the sector as some firms are not able to survive the downturn and changes in consumer food buying behaviour, including movement toward online shopping and enhanced demand for attributes associated with resiliency, such as local. On the other hand, online shopping may provide opportunities for small producers and processors to shorten supply chains and reach customers directly. In the long term, COVID-19 impacts on global commerce and developing country production are more uncertain and could influence poverty reduction. While COVID-19's impacts on North American agriculture should have minimal effect on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through food prices, the ongoing global trends in trade and agribusiness accelerated by the pandemic are relevant for achievement of the SDGs., Highlights • Initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a vulnerability in agri-food sector supply chains. • Most sectors have since moved back to near normal conditions. • Importance of understanding the whole supply chain is growing. • The trend toward greater automation will continue to accelerate.

Sixty cross-bred steers (Angus ×; n = 36 and Charolais ×; n = 24) were used in a split-plot design to investigate the effects of feeding corn (Zea mays) or sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) dried distillers grains plus solubles in growing and finishing diets on growth performance and carcass traits. Steers were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments used in both feeding periods: a control diet containing soybean meal (n = 20; CON), a diet containing 200 g/kg (DM basis) corn dried distillers grains + solubles (n = 20; CDDGS) and a diet containing 200 g/kg (DM basis) sorghum dried distillers grains + solubles (n = 20; SDDGS). Steers were fed a corn silage (CS) based grower diet (∼750/kg CS) for 56 d and then switched to a high grain finisher diet (150 g/kg CS). Feed intakes were measured using Insentec (n = 48) and Calan gate (n = 12) feeding systems. Animals were weighed every 28 d and slaughtered at an estimated backfat of 10 mm as estimated by ultrasound. Total trial average daily gain (ADG) was 1.56 kg/d ± 0.04 for CON, 1.54 kg/d ± 0.04 for CDDGS, and 1.51 kg/d ± 0.04 for SDDGS and did not differ (P>0.68) between treatments. Dietary treatment did not affect (P>0.14) dry matter intake (DMI) in the growing phase, although ADG was lower for SDDGS vs. CON (P=0.008) and CDDGS (P=0.02). There was a lower gain:feed in the growing phase for SDDGS vs. CDDGS (P=0.04). In the finishing phase, inclusion of corn or sorghum DDGS did not affect (P>0.41) ADG, DMI or G:F. However, fewer days on feed were required for SDDGS to reach the target backfat for slaughter than CDDGS (P=0.03) and CON (P=0.05). These results indicate that sorghum dried distillers grains plus solubles can be included at 200 g/kg inclusion level, similar to corn distillers grains plus solubles, in grower and finisher diets, without negatively influencing overall growth or carcass traits, although feeding SDDGS may result in reduced performance when corn silage based diets are fed and results in earlier fattening at a lighter body weight.