Mark JordanMark Jordan is Executive Director at LEAP Market Analytics.From the AuthorBroilersExport influence on broiler dark meat prices wanesEven as the export share of U.S. broiler production has cratered in recent years, the leg quarter market remains ascendant.TurkeyInventory shifts reflect changes in whole turkey consumptionTotal frozen stocks of whole turkeys this year are on track to post lowest annual average since the mid-1980s.BroilersSlumping livability restrains US broiler industry growthProduction held back at least 1% by various disease problems.Consumer TrendsChicken wing market stages a huge comebackWholesale wing prices are on track to post the second-highest annual average ever in 2024.Nutrition & FeedPoultry companies breathe easier as feed costs subsideComposite broiler and turkey feed costs appear likely to decline at least 25% this year from 2023.BroilersExport headwinds beguile US broiler industryU.S. broiler exports have declined for three consecutive years, with 2023 featuring the smallest share of domestic production going into export channels since 2006.Avian InfluenzaOngoing misery for US turkey producers as HPAI persistsLatest flare-up of cases reinforces concerns that HPAI is now a permanent threat to domestic fowl, and the U.S. turkey industry is incurring staggering losses as it lingers.BroilersBroiler breeding efficiency comes unraveledBreeder productivity trended mostly higher through the 1990s and 2000s and hit an all-time high back in 2012 but has retreated steadily since then, and more noticeably of late.Consumer TrendsSecondary markets signal turnaround in chicken demandTenderloins and boneless skinless thigh meat mount impressive recovery, with prices back in line with average levels from 2020-22.TurkeyHPAI end sends turkey markets plummetingSpot turkey breast prices are down more than 50% since the end of 2022 as latest bird flu crisis subsides.Broilers & TurkeysPoultry industry less profitable in 2023 so farThe broiler industry took a turn from boom to bust in the past two years. Better times may lie ahead.Processing & SlaughterU.S. broiler industry expansion accelerates in 2022Recovering broiler breeder performance delivered a larger than expected supply of chicks to a domestic industry dealing with sharply falling meat prices at the end of 2022.Page 1 of 4Next Page
