Iowa on top of turkey production in the US

Of the top seven turkey-producing states in the US, only Iowa, Minnesota and Arkansas increased production between 1996 and 2006, with Iowa raising 8.2 mln turkeys and processing more than 14 mln in 2006.

In 2006, the Iowa turkey industry employed 1,960 workers and accounted for US$55.6 mln in wages and salaries for processing and production. A further 2,300 people were employed through indirect activities. The industry also accounted for over US$810 mln in sales and US$253 mln in value-added activities.

“Iowa currently imports nearly 6 mln turkeys a year from surrounding states to support the state’s two processing facilities. Because of Iowa’s turkey processing capacity, feed price advantage and the ability to utilise manure nutrients effectively, there is potential to grow turkey production in the state,” says livestock economist John Lawrence.

The report revealed that Iowa’s cost of production for live turkeys is competitive with Minnesota, North Carolina and Missouri, the top one, two and five turkey-producing states, respectively. Iowa has higher non-feed costs than Missouri and North Carolina due to higher facility, heating and labour expenses. However, corn and soybean meal prices in Iowa are lower. Additionally, feed prices have risen with the growing renewable fuels industry, so has the cost of transporting corn from the Midwest to corn deficit regions, thus increasing Iowa’s feed cost advantage.