I don't think food producers that can't operate in a normal way and have to destroy or otherwise redirect the in-process production are very happy about it themselves. I think they do what they have to do because of the absence of alternatives.

What do you suggest be done differently?

It's not just the labor shortage, it's also how our food distribution system is set up. So much of it normally goes to restaurants and institutions, and those bulk products can't suddenly be packaged into the small quantities needed for individuals.

These 5 foods show how coronavirus has disrupted supply chains

Yeah, sad that the farmers and ranchers produce so much, should be enough to feed the world, yet people go hungry -- even before Covid disrupted normal supply chains. This bit is from 2010, but probably not much has changed: 7 Americans take farm jobs offered by United Farm Workers

@Elmer in the case of the pigs, according to the story I read meat processing plants won't accept the pigs for processing if they weigh more than 300 lbs. That is wrong. The pigs should be allowed to get a little bit bigger and then slaughtered when it's safe to reopen the processing plants. As far as picking crops is concerned, the current social distancing guidelines recommend we stay 6 ft away from each other (if I'm not mistaken). You would think that in a large field this wouldn't be a problem. There should be plenty of space so people don't have to stand that close to each other. And of course wear masks while working.

The reason commercial producers sell market hogs at 200-240 pounds is that at that point the feed conversion peaks and starts to quickly go down.

If the individuals and companies who stand to lose money from the destruction or abandonment of their products can't figure out anything possible to salvage their substantial financial investments, I don't think it's reasonable for outsiders to criticize what they've been pushed to do.

If we had an effective federal government, maybe the outcomes would be different. We don't and it is what it is.

It is not the social distancing in crops that must be tended and/or picked by hand. No one wants to do the back breaking labor. Even before the virus hit the number of workers who do this type of labor allowed into this country was reduced. A number of years ago some states tried to go to American stoop labor but few showed up and most left with in a day or two.