POULTRY

California Has 'Gone Rogue,' Consumers Pay the Price Under Proposition 12, Rollins Says

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:48:36 GMT

President Donald Trump’s administration sued California on July 9 over its regulation of eggs and chicken farms, saying these California laws impose burdensome red tape on the production of eggs and egg products nationally in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

“California has gone rogue and caused real harm to consumers under its cage-free egg commitments,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said in a statement frollowing the announcement of the Trump Administration’s lawsuit. “By not allowing consumer choice, Californian’s are forced to buy more expensive eggs. California’s actions under Proposition 12 fly in the face of Federal jurisdiction and regulation over food production and safety under the Egg Products Inspection Act.”

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of California, Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and other state officials. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, argues that the federal Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970 pre-empts state laws related to eggs. The federal law authorizes the USDA and Health and Human Services to regulate eggs in order to protect consumers’ health and welfare, and it also requires “national uniformity” in egg safety standards, the lawsuit says.

“It is one thing if California passes laws that affects its own State, it is another when those laws affect other States in violation of the U.S. Constitution,” Secretary Rollins said. “Thankfully, President Trump is standing up against this overreach.”

Secretary Rollins has worked diligently to support American poultry and egg producers, combat avian flu, and lower the cost of eggs for consumers, USDA pointed out in a statement. In February, she announced a five-point plan to combat the avian flu and lower egg prices which has been applauded by agriculture and government leaders across the country. Since the five-point plan was announced, the price of eggs has decreased 63%.

“It is great to see the Trump administration taking decisive action to protect the country from California’s overreaching policies, but Americans facing high food costs cannot afford to wait for years of court appeals. Congress could—and should—pass legislation tomorrow to get us there sooner,” Jack Hubbard, executive director of the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW) said in a release. “Recent polling shows California voters now regret the passage of Proposition 12, and there is strong bipartisan support for a legislative fix to nullify California’s inflationary farm mandates.”

(YouTube)

In May, CEW launched a public education campaign urging Congress to stop the far-reaching consequences of Prop 12. According to Consumer Price Index data, national egg prices have spiked 103% since Prop 12 went into effect in 2022. Meanwhile, in California, the cost of eggs has tripled and pork prices have increased by between 20 and 40%.

EU Halts Brazil Poultry and Meat Imports After HPAI Outbreak

Mon, 19 May 2025 15:55:03 GMT

Brazil, the world’s largest poultry exporter and main poultry meat importer into the European Union, is no longer allowed to ship poultry and meat products to the EU due to the recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Brazil confirmed the country’s first HPAI outbreak on a commercial farm in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul on May 16.

The entire territory of Brazil has suspended its official status of being “free of highly pathogenic avian influenza.” The EU joins with bans from top buyer China, Reuters reported. According to a European Commission spokesperson, EU import conditions require that the country of export (Brazil) is free of HPAI.

Why do U.S. farmers need to pay attention?

There are two reasons for U.S. farmers to be watching the developments of the disease and its effect on the Brazilian poultry industry.

Dan Basse, AgResource Company, says Brazil poultry exports account for about 33% of the global poultry supply.

“A good portion of that goes to China,” Basse says. “The Chinese are out and already saying that they are going to be restricting Brazilian poultry but, we’ll see. The Chinese took last year about 570,000 tons of Brazilian product. I don’t know where they would replace it–but they’re not going to do it from the United States with the trade war.”

He says another reason to watch is the feed side of the Brazilian poultry flock.

“Those birds consume a lot of meal and a lot of corn, it’s like 17.6 million metric tons of Brazilian meal, and 42 to 43 million tons of corn,” Basse says. “So we’ve got to think about this not only from a export opportunity for US poultry, but from a demand concern of what the Brazilians will do in terms of feed consumption. They’ll become more aggressive in offering meal and corn to the world market if flocks down there do need to be depopulated and are starting over.”

What are teh next steps?

Restriction on poultry exports follows rules agreed on with each importing country, based on international health certificate requirements, the Agriculture and Livestock ministry told the Associated Press (AP). Depending on the type of the disease, some deals apply to the whole country while others involve limits on where products can come from — for example, a specific state, city or just the area of the outbreak.

Countries like Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines have already accepted this regional approach, AP reported.

Brazil exported more than 5 million tons of poultry meat in 2024. Reuters reported that approximately 4.4% headed to the EU. Of total EU poultry imports, Brazil is the main origin with a share of 32% last year, according to official EU data.

The U.S. bird flu outbreak and wider trade tensions with Washington have limited Chinese appetite for American poultry. China now blocks poultry from more than 40 U.S. states over HPAI, according to U.S. government data, Reuters reported .

If the HPAI outbreak spreads across Brazil, as it did in the U.S., officials and analysts said outlooks could get dimmer, Reuters reported. That scenario would raise U.S. hopes for China to ease restrictions on American poultry.

Under a Phase 1 trade agreement China signed with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term in 2020, China is supposed to lift statewide bans on U.S. poultry 90 days after states eliminate bird flu from infected farms.

However, China has kept bans in place longer than it had agreed in that deal, according to the article.

Greg Tyler, CEO of the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council industry group, told Reuters he is hopeful China will move back to abiding by that regionalization agreement.

Your Next Read: Certainty in Uncertain Times: How Maria Zieba Fights for U.S. Pork Producers in DC

Why Students Should Apply for the 2025 Summer Veterinary Internship Program Now

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 22:13:43 GMT

The Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine (ISU CVM) is seeking veterinary student applicants for summer 2025 swine, bovine and poultry internship positions.

Will Fombelle, DVM, is a veteran of several internships spread across his undergraduate studies in animal sciences and also into his veterinary school education. During the summer of 2012, he completed the Swine Veterinary Internship Program (SVIP).

“While in school, I took on the attitude of completing as many internships as I possibly could in order to not only narrow down my career choice but also my future employer. By participating in these programs, I was able to mold my interests into the fields of swine medicine and production which greatly accelerated my vision of where I chose to start my career in veterinary medicine at Carthage Veterinary Service,” he said in a previous PorkBusiness.com article .

Participants in the SVIP collaborate with a mentoring veterinarian or team of veterinarians at a production system or practice. Students are immersed in modern swine production and health daily and take the lead on designing and executing a field trial with guidance from mentors, ISU CVM said on its website . Students also take part in diagnostic test sampling and implement the principles and methods of swine diagnostic collection, testing and interpretation.

“Even if your university has classes well into the summer, you have a study abroad trip planned, a wedding or another reason you might not be able to commit to the entire 12 weeks, go ahead and apply,” ISU CVM encouraged. “Just note your availability in the section where it asks about conflicts. We can’t guarantee we can accommodate all schedules but if a student is selected we will try our hardest to be flexible and make it work.”

Applications are due Dec. 1, 2024 (late applications are accepted but higher priority will be given to those received by Dec. 1).

Apply here.

“These summer internships are the first exposure for students to the real world, and we should do our best to make each student’s experience a positive one,” Fombelle wrote.

Learn more here.

Your Next Read: Find and Develop Your Replacement in the Pork Industry

Georgia Farmers Say Hurricane Helene is Most Catastrophic, Costly Storm Ever

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 19:29:59 GMT

Farmers in southeast Georgia are still trying to recover from Hurricane Helene, the most catastrophic and costly hurricane they’ve ever seen, superseding even Hurricane Katrina.

Cleanup is underway, but it might take years to put the pieces back together. Farmers say with lower commodity prices, many were already on the financial brink before the storm.

Catastrophic Damage from Hurricane Helene

The loss from Hurricane Helene was devastating for farmers in southeast Georgia. A foot of rain and hurricane winds of 125 mph ripped through Coffey County, the epicenter.

“We were considered one of the hotspots for it because that was the highest-recorded wind. We had 30 tornadoes also come through this county at the same time during the hurricane,” says Van Grantham, a farmer in Coffee County, Ga.

He says the biggest loss was to timber as tree stands they’ve been growing for 35 to 40 years are completely gone and will cost $1,000 per acre to cleanup and restore.

“There was probably 75% to as high as 100% damage on timber stands,” he adds.

Damage from Hurricane Helene to the timber trees in southeast Georgia.

(Andrew Lyon )

Severe Impact on Agriculture in Coffey County

The Granthams also have 215 acres of peanuts to harvest and 1,400 acres of cotton. The latter has been nearly wiped out.

“We’ve lost all of our cotton acres and peanuts,” Grantham says. “We should have been midway through harvest, if not three-quarters. We can’t get into the fields, and they’re saying everything is down [power] for another three to four weeks.”

Damage from Hurricane Helene to the cotton crop in southeast Georgia.

(Andrew Lyon)

Livestock Losses

In addition to row crops, the Granthams also lost livestock. They lost several cattle and over 100,000 chickens on their operation.

It’s a story of dramatic losses and damage when you talk to any farmer in southeast Georgia right now.

“It’s about a four-county area that was hit. It’s counties like Kulfi County, Jeff Davis and Atkinson County,” he adds. “I know there’s 598 chicken houses total, but there’s 298 on the ground.”

The Financial Hit From the Storm

Thousands of farms and homes are still out of electricity and water. Farmers in southeast Georgia have met with state and federal officials with the message they need disaster assistance immediately.

“It was already struggling before, and then this just kind of added way more on us physically, mentally and financially. I mean, this is a financial burden with the devastation,” adds Chase Grantham, Van’s son.

The damage caused by Hurricane Helene to infrastructure in southeast Georgia is monumental. Not only did the hurricane pack a punch of high winds, but it also brought more than 30 tornadoes to the area.

(Andrew Lyon)

While the immediate needs are clear, Chase says it could take farmers several years to rebuild and they may never be whole.

Seeing the Devastation First-Hand

Farm Journal’s Trust in Food team traveled to southeast Georgia last week and saw the devastation first-hand. The team spoke to growers, walked cotton fields torn to shreds by the storm and saw infrastructure crushed by the storm. Trust in Food’s Andrew Lyon spoke to AgriTalk’s Chip Flory about what the team saw last week and the impact it could have on growers for years to come. You can listen to that conversation here.

More Time Requested by EPA Prior to Poultry Ammonia Reporting

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:19 GMT

A petition was filed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia asking for an extension in the implementation of mandatory reporting by poultry farms in regards to low levels of ammonia.

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) poultry and egg producers would be required to notify first responders when low levels of ammonia occurred on their farms. The request by EPA follows the release of guidelines through CERCLA and EPCRA on Oct. 27.

In the petition the EPA said “estimating emissions is complex given the numerous variables involved” and more time is needed for the agency to review information from stakeholders, like farmers, to increase accuracy for emission estimates. EPA has requested two more months, or until Jan. 17, 2018, whichever is later to continue looking at these rules.

Both U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) plan to file briefs supporting EPA’s motion.

“We appreciate EPA’s thoughtful review of the reporting requirements and their recognition that the low-level emissions that may result from the natural breakdown of manure are highly irregular and differ from one farm to the next,” says John Starkey, president of USPOULTRY.

A current stay exist in the appeals court, but is set to expire on Nov. 15. Should the court deny EPA’s motion for additional time, then mandatory reporting would begin for poultry and egg farmers on Nov. 15.

How to Avoid Poultry Manure Fires

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:16 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - How high is too high for a pile of chicken manure?

Eight feet, apparently.

Chicken waste is an excellent fertilizer, but with the growing season still weeks away it’s piling up in barns across the South. To reduce the risk of fire from spontaneous combustion, poultry experts are warning farmers that piles 6½- to 7-feet high are high enough. One pile caught fire in western Arkansas this week, triggering a wildfire that destroyed a mobile home.

“This hit the sweet spot,” said Karl VanDevender, a professor and extension engineer for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, after describing the mix of moisture, texture and decomposition needed to produce a burning pile of waste.

Normal composting at 130 to 145 degrees will kill pathogens, but extra moisture in the stack can help drive temperatures over 170 degrees, raising the risk of a fire, he said.

“If you see smoke, it’s kind of iffy. If you break in, you may introduce oxygen and set it off. Have water nearby,” he said. “If you have litter stored and stacked, keep an eye on it.”

Charleston Mayor Sherman Hiatt, who is also his town’s assistant fire chief, said the manure stack that caught fire Wednesday was 8 or 9 feet high. It set nearby hay ablaze and then flames jumped a highway and raced away on a steady 25 mph wind. It took about four hours to douse the flames; no one was injured.

“I think most farmers are pretty diligent in their methods, but sometimes freak things happen,” said Hiatt, himself a cattle farmer who worked a poultry waste fire at another farm two years ago.

Arkansas is among the nation’s leading poultry-producing states, with Georgia and Maryland. Agriculture schools in chicken country have published brochures on how to store chicken litter, and the University of Maryland goes so far as suggesting having the fire department on hand if farmers intend to move a smoldering pile of waste.

VanDevender said that because so many factors go into igniting a waste pile, it’s difficult to predict when one might catch fire.

“With biological processes, we throw precision out the window,” he said.

Bird Flu Cases Probed in One of the Largest U.S. Chicken States

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:16 GMT

Alabama, one of the leading U.S producers of chicken meat, is investigating suspected cases of bird flu in three northern poultry flocks and has introduced some restrictions on the transportation of birds.

A commercial chicken-breeding farm in Lauderdale County and a backyard flock in Madison County are among the facilities under investigation, the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries said in a statement Tuesday. The state is also probing a flea market in Jackson County and has issued an order limiting the movement of some poultry.

The move comes after one neighboring state, Tennessee, reported bird flu last week near the Alabama border. Highly pathogenic bird flu -- which can be deadly to domesticated poultry -- was found in a commercial chicken-breeder flock in Lincoln County on March 5. The farm was a supplier to Tyson Foods Inc., and the flock was destroyed to prevent the spread of the virus. Later last week, Tennessee said low-pathogenic bird flu, the less contagious form, was also found in a commercial poultry flock in Giles County.

The U.S. southeast was largely spared during the last major American outbreak, which affected turkey and egg farms in the Midwest and led to the death of more than 48 million birds through mid-2015, either from infection or culling.

“Following the 2015 avian influenza outbreak in the Midwest, planning, preparation and extensive biosecurity efforts were escalated in Alabama,” John McMillan, Alabama’s commissioner of agriculture and industries, said in the statement. “Our staff is committed to staying actively involved in the avian influenza situation until any threats are addressed.”

The outbreaks pose a low risk to human health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

USDA Tests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t yet confirmed the Alabama findings, according to Lyndsay Cole, a spokeswoman for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Samples from two of the suspect cases are currently being tested at the agency’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories, with the third expected to arrive Tuesday.

No significant mortality was found among the birds in the Lauderdale County commercial operation, Alabama’s agriculture department said. The detections were found during routine surveillance of poultry. Tyson spokesman Worth Sparkman said there are no known bird-flu cases on any of the farms that supply the company.

The order restricting movement of poultry in the state applies to bird traveling to flea markets, auctions and any types of exhibitions, according to Ray Hilburn, associate director of the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association.

South Korea banned imports of all U.S. poultry following the Tennessee bird-flu findings, according to its agriculture ministry. Other importing nations restricted imports from affected areas of the state, USDA data show.

Shares of poultry companies including Tyson and Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. traded lower on Tuesday in New York. Alabama was the third-largest U.S. chicken-producing state by volume as of 2015, with output of 6.17 billion pounds, USDA data show.

Countries across Europe and Asia are also grappling with bird-flu outbreaks this year.

Tyson Foods to Invest $320M in New Chicken Plant in Kansas

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:16 GMT

Tyson Foods Inc. will invest $320 million in a new chicken-processing plant in northeastern Kansas employing 1,600 people so that it can keep up with a growing consumer demand for fresh poultry, the company and state officials announced Tuesday.

The Smithfield, Arkansas-based meat-producer unveiled its plans during a news conference in Tonganoxie with Gov. Sam Brownback and other state and local officials. The company plans to build the plant outside the town of about 5,300 residents about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Kansas City and expects it to be open in mid-2019.

The company plans to buy a 300-acre site and also build a hatchery and feed mill. It expects to break ground on the project this fall.

“We believe this new operation, which will incorporate the latest production technology, will enable us to meet the sustained growth in consumer demand for fresh chicken,” Tyson President and CEO Tom Hayes said in a statement.

The plant will be able to process 1.25 million birds a week, and the company plans to contract with local farmers. It and state and local officials project that the plant’s payroll, payments to farmers and purchases of feed and utilities will total $150 million a year.

“The far-reaching impact of this development will be felt by farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and communities throughout eastern Kansas,” Brownback said in a statement.

Tyson already operates six plants in Kansas that employ about 5,700 workers and made more than $2 billion last year to cattle and hog suppliers. The company employs about 114,000 workers total and is one of the world’s largest food companies.

Doug Ramsey, the company’s group president for poultry, said eastern Kansas is “the right location” for a new plant because of the availability of grain and labor and because the state has a “top-notch” transportation system.

Coming Up on AgDay: Report on Poultry Cage Law

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:02 GMT

Full coverage of proposed cage law takes place Feb. 24

On Friday, AgDay will have team coverage of an important issue to animal agriculture—the proposed law on caged hens. The law was based on a proposal written by the Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers (UEP).

Reporter Tyne Morgan recently talked with the past president of UEP, who wrote the mandate, and visited his egg operation in Indiana. Here’s a preview of what he had to say:

Also, AgDay reporter Michelle Rook talked with the National Cattle Board Association about the policy and what it will mean for all of animal agriculture.

Be sure to tune in to AgDay on Friday, Feb. 24, for full coverage of this proposed legislation.

Will Stabenow Lay Egg if 'Egg Bill' Is in Farm Bill Markup?

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:02 GMT

Via a special arrangement with Informa Economics, Inc.

NOTE: This column is copyrighted material, therefore reproduction or retransmission is prohibited under U.S. copyright laws.

Some dissenters call Egg Bill ‘Hilton for hens.’

Earlier this week I reported that Senate Ag Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) would likely include the so-called controversial Egg Bill in the coming farm bill draft. It is legislation she cosponsored for national standards of housing hens and supported by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the United Egg Producers (UEP). Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013 on April 25 for the humane treatment of egg-laying hens and the labeling of eggs. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) introduced companion HR 1731 in the House. Schrader and Feinstein introduced similar bills in the last Congress to increase the size of hen cages but failed to gain enough support.

The bill has strong opposition from agricultural groups, which fear such legislation would set a precedent leading to national production and welfare standards for other livestock. Those groups include the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council and other meat and dairy groups. Some Egg Bill opponents have dubbed the measure “Hilton for hens” - which sums up the emotionality behind this topic.

The bills require a phase-in of larger cages over 15 to 18 years at a cost United Egg Producers has estimated at $4 billion. State laws would be nullified and new state laws or ballot measures regulating egg production would be prohibited.

Veteran farm bill observers say Stabenow is flirting with adding still more hurdles in getting a farm bill completed if she puts the Egg Bill language in her markup coming later this month. The path to the farm bill has already been an unsuccessful saga, starting first with the attempt to link it to the failed Super Committee process, then last year’s inability to cross the finish line, and now potential budget-related and additional roadblocks ahead like including the Egg Bill language opposed by many mainstream farm groups.

Court Refuses to Dismiss Poultry Farmer's Suit Against EPA

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:02 GMT

On Monday, a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia rejected an effort by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to dismiss a case brought by West Virginia poultry farmer Lois Alt, scoring a win for poultry and livestock farmers, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) who along with the West Virginia Farm Bureau are co-plaintiffs.

Alt had challenged an EPA order that she obtain a Clean Water Act discharge permit for stormwater runoff at her farm or be faced with $37,500 in fines each time stormwater came in contact with dust, feathers or small amounts of manure outside of her poultry houses. EPA also threatened separate fines of $37,500 per day if Alt failed to apply for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for such stormwater discharges. Alt responded with a lawsuit to challenging the order in June 2012.

EPA in December withdrew this order, but the U.S. Federal court ruled the case should go forward to clarify for farmers as to whether discharge permits are required for “ordinary precipitation runoff from a typical farmyard.”

“EPA seems to have believed if it withdrew the order against Ms. Alt, the court would dismiss her lawsuit,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “The tactic failed because the court recognized EPA wasn’t changing its underlying legal position, but just trying to avoid having to defend that position.”

In opposing EPA’s motion to dismiss, Alt and Farm Bureau argued that farmers remain vulnerable to similar EPA orders, because EPA stands by its contention that the Clean Water Act statutory exemption for “agricultural stormwater” does not apply to stormwater from the farmyard at a concentrated animal feeding operation.

The U.S. Produced Enough Eggs in January to Reach the Moon

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:16:58 GMT

Americans can’t seem to get enough eggs.

The U.S. produced 9.41 billion eggs in January, according to government data . That’s enough to go to the moon and halfway back if you stacked them together. January’s total was the second-largest on record, falling just 0.3 percent lower than the all-time high set in December.

Per the U.S. Department of Agriculture breakdown , 8.2 billion eggs were used for table consumption, with 1.2 billion used to hatch more chickens. Of the table eggs, the agency projected just 3.7 percent to be exported. All those eggs stacked lengthwise would be a staggering 338,581 miles (544,890 kilometers).

Americans are projected to each eat 279.2 eggs in 2019, according to the USDA’s latest per capita forecasts published in its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. That would be the highest in since 1973, according to the agency’s Economic Research Service . Even as it’s way down from the 1945 high of 404.6 eggs, it reverses a low of 228.8 set in 1995.

While the total chicken count can be tough to estimate given the short life span of broilers consumed by humans, the latest USDA tally puts the number at 392.8 million, about 67 million more than the 2018 U.S. population estimate.

Chicken Supply Situation Prompts Pilgrim's Pride to Close Two Facilities

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:16:58 GMT

Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation today announced plans to idle a chicken processing plant in Clinton, Ark., and a further-processing facility in Bossier City, La.as the company seeks to increase operating efficiency and improve profitability as they cope with high feed costs and an oversupply of chicken on the market.

When completed, the idling of the Clinton processing plant will result in an approximate 1.25% incremental increase in the company’s previously announced production cutback heading into the fall.

Meanwhile, value-added items currently produced in Bossier City will be shifted to other Pilgrim’s Pride further-processing facilities. Pilgrim’s Pride plans to keep both plants idle until it believes that industry margins can be sustained at more normalized levels of profitability should these or our other production cutbacks be reversed. The idling of the two plants will eliminate a total of approximately 600 positions.

The firm said it will provide transition programs to employees whose positions are eliminated to assist them in securing new employment, filing for unemployment and obtaining other applicable benefits. The firm detailed that market prices for chicken breast meat are currently at $1.33 per pound, well below the prior five-year average for August of approximately $1.63 per pound, and significantly below the average price of more than $1.80 just four years ago. “Over the past six months, Pilgrim’s Pride has taken a number of proactive steps to strengthen our competitive position amid a very difficult operating environment,” said Clint Rivers, president and chief executive officer. “These steps include the production cutbacks for the second half of fiscal 2008, the closure of a plant in North Carolina and seven distribution centers, and the consolidation of our tray-pack operations in El Dorado, Ark., to six other case-ready sites. Those changes, when combined with today’s announcement, will result in the elimination of nearly 2,300 positions.”

Since earlier actions by the company or others in the industry have not resulted in improved prices for their products, Rivers said, “It is now clear that more significant, decisive action is necessary. In addition, EPA’s disappointing decision to reject the request for a partial waiver of the 2008 Renewable Fuel Standard for corn-based ethanol assures that high grain prices are here to stay for the foreseeable future.”

Missouri Student Is One 'Eggcellent' Entrepreneur

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:16:58 GMT

Dustin Stanton, age 18, is on the right path to becoming a top producer. Currently a freshman at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Stanton has grown his farm project of producing eggs to a regional business by connecting with consumers and paying close attention to freshness.

“It’s the taste that keeps them coming back,” says Dustin Stanton, of the farm-fresh eggs he produces with his brother Austin in Centralia, Mo. The quiet 17-year-old has become an aficionado on what consumers want when it comes to eggs.

Stanton visits with customers at local grocery stores and the farmer’s market, and talks with students in the dining halls at the nearby University of Missouri-Columbia, a buyer of his fresh eggs. This attention to detail helped Stanton win a 2010 National Agri-Entrepreneurship Award and $1,000 during the 83rd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., in October.

At this year’s convention, Stanton is a national finalist in the Agricultural Sales—Entreprenuership category. The national award will be presented at the convention in October. His business, Stanton Brothers, was hatched when Dustin’s first grade class incubated 12 baby chickens. As a reward, one of the students had the opportunity to take these chicks home, but Stanton was not the lucky 7-year-old. Heartbroken, Stanton told his uncle of his situation and his uncle bought him his first six baby chicks the next day.

Today, Stanton raises more than 8,500 chickens and sells an average of 2,000 dozen eggs per week to the Columbia Farmers Market, eight restaurants, three bakers, two health food stores and seven grocery stores. A new grocer to Columbia, Natural Grocers, based in Denver, Colo., has already committed to purchasing eggs from Stanton Brothers.

“My major objective right now with Stanton Brothers is to provide a safe, reliable and nutritious source of eggs to local people who enjoy eating food that they know where it comes from,” Stanton says. “I even help raise the grain that I feed to the chickens. That’s the fun part—I control the quality of the product from start to finish.”

Stanton is attending the University of Missouri-Columbia, majoring in Agribusiness Management, and plans to continue to market his eggs to local consumers while working on the family farm.

See all ‘ A Day in Agriculture ’ coverage.

Arizona Egg Producer Invests in Robotic Loader

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:16:58 GMT

We are proud to introduce “Big Bill” at Arizona’s Hickman Family Farms, the state’s only commercial egg producer. Big Bill is the newest member to our team at our Ak Chin Maricopa Farm, a family owned, fourth-generation farm.

This advancement in technology was a welcome addition by our staff, who have loaded millions of egg cases throughout the years. Santiago Juarez, our veteran loader, was happy to see Bill arrive!

Today, Big Bill is hoisting 20 half-cases of eggs in 60 seconds. That equates to 1,200 half-cases every hour.

KFC Takes Steps to Limit Antibiotic Use in Chickens

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:16:54 GMT

Yum Brands Inc.'s U.S. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) chain recently announced it will give its U.S. poultry suppliers until the end of 2018 to stop using antibiotics important to human medicine. KFC is the second-largest U.S. chicken chain, after Chick-fil-A. The latter has promised to switch to poultry raised without any antibiotics at all by the end of 2019.

KFC is the last of the big three chicken restaurants to join the effort to curb the use of antibiotics in animals. The shift will apply to its 4,200 restaurants that are supplied by its 2,000 domestic chicken farms.

“This is something that’s important to many of our customers and it’s something we need to do to show relevance and modernity within our brand,” explains KFC U.S. President Kevin Hochman.