USDA lowers turkey production estimates for 2017

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lowered its forecast for turkey production for 2017, based on a slower-than-expected recovery in demand and relatively poor returns to producers.

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Photo by Austin Alonzo
Photo by Austin Alonzo

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lowered its forecast for turkey production for 2017, based on a slower-than-expected recovery in demand and relatively poor returns to producers.

The agency released its latest production projections in its World Agricultural Supply and Demands Estimates (WASDE) report, issued on August 10.

USDA, in its latest WASDE report, projected turkey production in the U.S. in 2017 will amount to 5.98 billion pounds, down from the July WASDE projection of 6.06 billion pounds produced. If realized, U.S. turkey production in 2017 will be nearly equal to the amount of turkey produced in the U.S. in 2016.

The August WASDE report also predicted 6.18 billion pounds of U.S. turkey production for 2018. That is the same estimate USDA offered in the July WASDE report.

Broiler production estimates

There were no changes in estimates for broiler production in 2017 or in 2018. The agency projected 41.48 billion pounds of chicken production in 2017 and 42.28 billion pounds of production in 2018 in both its July and August WASDE reports.

U.S. broiler production in 2016 amounted to 40.7 billion pounds.

Egg production estimates

USDA raised its estimates for U.S. egg production in 2017, basing that change mostly on hatchery data.

In the July WASDE report, U.S. egg production was forecast at 8.75 billion dozen eggs in 2017, but the August report called for 8.76 billion dozen eggs produced for the year.

The agency did not change its forecast for 2018 egg production, as it remained at 8.9 billion dozen. Those figures are both up from 2016 U.S. egg production numbers. Last year, there were 8.57 billion dozen eggs produced in the United States, according to the WASDE report.

The USDA issues its WASDE report on a monthly basis. The next report will be released on September 12.

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