According to the latest report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), poultry production in the United States experienced a notable 3% increase in October compared to the same period last year.
The federally inspected poultry’s total ready-to-cook weight reached an impressive 4.73 billion pounds, showcasing a positive trajectory for the industry. The revised certified total for September, although witnessing a 4% decrease from September 2022, demonstrated improvement, reaching 4.30 billion pounds – a substantial increase of 21.5 million pounds from the preliminary figure reported last month.
Breaking down the October figures, the preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry stood at 6.23 billion pounds, reflecting a 3% rise from the previous year’s 6.05 billion pounds. Notably, young chickens accounted for 5.52 billion pounds, marking a 3% increase from October 2022. Mature chickens and turkey inspections also showed positive trends, with a 6% uptick (71.8 million pounds) and an 8% increase (628 million pounds), respectively. Ducks, too, experienced an 8% rise, totaling 17.7 million pounds compared to the previous year.
In terms of condemnations, the data for October 2023 presents encouraging signs. Ante-mortem condemnations amounted to 12.3 million pounds, constituting 0.20% of the live weight inspected – a slight improvement from the 0.21% recorded a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations stood at 25.3 million pounds, representing 0.53% of the quantities inspected, down from 0.56% in the same period the previous year.
The overall positive growth in poultry production, coupled with improvements in condemnation rates, suggests a resilient and thriving industry. The NASS report provides valuable insights into the sector’s performance, indicating a promising outlook for the poultry market in the United States.”
