Winter storm leads to poultry loss: USDA

Broiler processing volumes dropped more than 40% year over year during the week of February’s winter storm, USDA data shows.

The preliminary broiler slaughter data shows that for the week ending February 20, the height of the storm, processing volumes dropped 43.9% year over year. A 4.4% year-over-year increase the following week indicates the industry may have been able to make up some of the loss. Still, the decline in birds available for slaughter could last into April.

Sanderson Farms said early this month that it would have approximately 1.6 million fewer chickens to process at its Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas processing plants over the next 10 weeks.

Turkey production also appears to have been negatively affected by the storm, data shows. Feedstuffs has more.

University of Nebraska prepares farmers for extreme weather

The University of Nebraska, Lincoln is piloting a program called Weather Ready to help farmers address areas of their operations that are vulnerable to increasing extreme weather events. Participating farmers in eastern Nebraska fill out a self-assessment, attend educational programs and complete a verification process to achieve the “Weather Ready” designation.

“There is no normal year anymore,” Will Corman, a third-generation farmer who’s participating in the pilot, told Successful Farming. “The weather is more extreme and unique every year.