How weekly US broiler slaughter liveweight has changed year over year

The largest year-over-year percentage increase goes to an entity formed from the merging of two separate top companies.

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Big Dutchman

A look at the top U.S. broiler companies’ year-over-year percentage change in weekly average slaughter liveweight shows significant increases at several companies. Of the 32 top U.S. broiler companies for 2023, seven saw a year-over-year increase of about 5 percent or more in weekly average slaughter liveweight. Weekly average slaughter liveweight is just one of the data points collected in the yearly WATT PoultryUSA Top Companies survey.

By far, the largest year-over-year average slaughter liveweight change was 182.89 percent for the newly formed Wayne-Sanderson Farms. Wayne Farms finalized its acquisition of Sanderson Farms in July 2022. Shenandoah Valley Organic LLC, one of the smallest top U.S. broiler companies, as ranked by million pounds ready-to-cook meat, saw the second-largest year-over-year increase in weekly average slaughter liveweight of 25 percent.

 The following companies also had significant year-over-year percentage increases in weekly average slaughter liveweight: Amick Farms LLC (18.57 percent), Farmers Pride Inc., (11.54 percent), Gerber's Poultry (7.14 percent), Murray's Chicken (6.15 percent), and Allen Harim Foods (5.26 percent). These increases were likely due to expanded capacity and other capital improvements.

Eleven companies saw a more moderate year-over-year increase in weekly average slaughter liveweight of between 1 percent and 4.8 percent. An additional 11 companies had no year-over-year change and three companies saw small decreases (between -0.23 percent and -1.23 percent).

Top U.S. broiler companies ranked by 2021-22 percent changes in weekly average slaughter liveweight:

  1. Wayne-Sanderson Farms              182.89
  2. Shenandoah Valley Organic LLC   25.00
  3. Amick Farms LLC                               18.57
  4. Farmers Pride Inc.                              11.54
  5. Gerber's Poultry                                  7.14
  6. Murray's Chicken                                6.15
  7. Allen Harim Foods                              5.26
  8. OK Foods Inc.                                     4.86
  9. Tyson Foods                                       3.37
  10. Foster Farms                                      3.29
  11. Miller Poultry                                       3.14
  12. George's Inc.                                      2.39
  13. Perdue Foods                                     2.26
  14. Koch Foods Inc.                                  2.20
  15. Claxton Poultry Farms                        1.96
  16. Case Foods Inc.                                 1.80
  17. House of Raeford Farms Inc.                   1.70
  18. Fieldale Farms                                    1.01
  19. Agri Star Meat & Poultry             0.00
  20. Empire Kosher Poultry Inc.                  0.00
  21. FreeBird Chicken                                0.00
  22. Golden-Rod Broilers Inc.                  0.00
  23. Harrison Poultry Inc.                           0.00
  24. Holmes Foods                        0.00
  25. Lincoln Premium Poultry             0.00
  26. Mar-Jac Poultry Inc.                           0.00
  27. Mar-Jac Poultry LLC                           0.00
  28. Simmons Foods Inc.                           0.00
  29. The Best Dressed Chicken                       0.00
  30. Peco Foods                                        -0.23
  31. Mountaire Farms Inc.                         -1.08
  32. Pilgrim's Pride Corp.                           -1.23

 

 

Annual WATT PoultryUSA Top Companies survey

WATT PoultryUSA’s annual Top Companies edition includes rankings of the top broiler and turkey producers in the U.S. Additional data sets, such as rankings by million pounds ready-to-cook meat and a historical look at the HHI calculation for the U.S. broiler industry, are included and help to comprise the most thorough yearly and historical review of the U.S. broiler and turkey industries. The next set of rankings will be published in the March 2024 edition of WATT PoultryUSA.

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