Some 58.97 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens and turkeys being raised for human consumption, have died in bird flu outbreaks that began in February 2022.
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Aside from the economic implications of culling millions of birds due to avian flu outbreaks, the risk of increasing human infections has been a rising concern.
Now, a study from researchers in China and England has discovered that a subtype of avian flu virus, endemic in poultry farms in China, is undergoing mutational changes, which could increase the risk of the disease being passed on to humans.
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Falling chicken and pork prices as well as slowing demand for its beef products are reasons Tyson Foods cited on Monday for missing Wall Street expectations for third-quarter revenue and profit, Reuters reports.
Shares fell about 8%. The company said it is evaluating all operations and closing four more U.S. chicken plants in the latest bid to reduce costs, the article said.
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Two North Louisiana men have pleaded guilty in a scheme to defraud their employer, Raeford Farms of Louisiana.
William Ross Hickman, 48, of Arcadia and Brian K. Whiteman, 47, of Haughton were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud in interstate commerce, costing their employer almost $2.2 million.
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Running a poultry business can be profitable once you know the market.
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While egg prices are finally dropping, it's still not a bad idea to raise your own chickens.
Dek Terrel, an economics professor at LSU, says it's basic egg-onomics.
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Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Strain says egg prices rose sharply over the holidays as demand increased. Since then, it has lowered slightly, but not by much.
He says due to inflation, the cost of feed, fertilizer, diesel fuel needed for transporting products, and the cost of keeping chicken coups heated have all driven up the price of eggs, and they will remain high unless conditions improve.
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Egg prices at the grocery store were elevated throughout 2022 due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among egg-laying hens, said USDA economists. “Lower-than-usual shell egg inventories near the end of the year, combined with increased demand stemming from the holiday baking season, resulted in several successive weeks of record-high egg prices.”
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Mississippi has over 155 positive detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in wild birds from teal, wood ducks, Canada gees, Ross’s geese, snow and blue geese, vultures and bald eagles. Louisiana saw a jump in 40 cases over the past week with the majority of positives in LaSalle Parish in Green-Winged Teal according to figures on the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
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During the last weeks of 2022, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry transported approximately 400,000 pounds of chicken to food banks throughout the state of Louisiana. The chicken was donated by Foster Farms, which operates in Farmerville, La.
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Louisiana hatcheries set 3.35 million broiler-type eggs during the week ending December 10, 2022, up 1 percent from the comparable week in 2021 but down 5 percent from the previous week.
Hatcheries in the United States weekly program set 240 million eggs in incubators during the week ending December 10, 2022, up slightly from a year ago.
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The August 2022 Price & Production Summary gives prices for cattle, poultry, hogs and dairy.
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Effective September 11, 2022, Foster Farms increased the entry level wage rate for its Farmerville, Louisiana, processing facility TEAM members to $17.30 per hour from the current start rate of $12.70 per hour. Farmerville TEAM Members also qualify for a very comprehensive health care plan, as well as disability and life insurance coverage.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an additional investment of more than $14 million to support agricultural workforce training in historically underserved communities that will increase the resilience of the U.S. meat and poultry processing sector.
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Atlas Holdings has acquired California-based poultry company Foster Farms from entities associated with the Foster family.
Under the new ownership, Foster Farms will continue to operate under the Foster Farms name, while continuing to offer products nationwide. Foster Farms, according to the WATTPoultry.com Top Companies Database, is the nation’s 12th largest broiler producer and 14th largest turkey producer. It operates facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, Alabama and Louisiana. It's headquarters are in Livingston, California.
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