When news broke last week of JBS packing plants around the world shutting down after hackers attacked the company’s computer system, many livestock producers prepared themselves for yet another "black swan" event that could disrupt the supply chain and damage markets.

Fortunately, in this case, the impact on the U.S. meat supply chain seems to be minimal.

“The big thing we’re following right now is the daily slaughter counts published each afternoon by USDA,” said Iowa State University Extension and Outreach economist Lee Schulz. “We’re watching those as a benchmark of that impact.”

The worst hit facilities in...