A moderate impact to production in 2024 is likely in poultry and egg production as almost 20 million commercial poultry were depopulated from November to December, according to Brian Earnest, CoBank’s lead economist for animal protein. The bulk of the total was in egg laying hens, but there were also quite a few turkey breeder facilities as well as a handful of broiler breeders affected, he said.
Since the beginning of the year, outbreaks in table egg laying operations appear to have slowed, but USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) data shows two table egg pullet operations, one in Kansas and one in California, have still led to the depopulation of just over 1 million birds. Read more