Overview

The United States is the world’s largest turkey producer and largest exporter of turkey products. While exports are a major part of the U.S. turkey market, domestic consumption is higher than any other country, at 17.1 pounds per person in 2007. According to the USDA, turkey production in 2007 reached 7.87 billion pounds, and the total value of the turkeys produced that year was $3.71 billion. The average price received by producers during 2007 was 47.2 cents per pound, compared to 47.9 cents in 2006.  May 2008 . . . Turkey

Marketing

• American Grassfed Association (AGA) - The AGA provides range poultry producer’s opportunities to network with similar producers and to investigate marketing alternatives for this niche.
• Export and Import Regulations and Policies, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA - International Affairs information for the agricultural export market.
• LPES Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) fact sheets - The MidWest Plan Service at Iowa State University provides a set of fact sheets to assist livestock and poultry producers in dealing with revised federal regulations for CAFOs.
• National Organic Program, USDA - National regulations and standards, lists of certifying agencies and related organic certification information.
• Organic Agricultural Products: Marketing and Trade Resources, How-to-Guides, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, National Agricultural Library, updated 2005 - Special reference briefs series on marketing in alternative methods, including organic and other marketing related resources.
• Overview of the U.S. Turkey Industry, NASS, USDA, 2007.
• Poultry Meat and Eggs, FASonline, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), USDA - This Web site offers statistics on turkey production, imports, exports, and consumption.
• Profitable Poultry, Raising Birds on Pasture, Marketing Options, Sustainable Ag Research and Education (SARE) program, USDA, 2002 - Bulletin on raising and marketing poultry on pasture.
• Reap New Profits: Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers, Sustainable Ag Research and Education (SARE) Program, USDA, 2003 - This publication offers a variety of methods to consider in direct marketing, niche marketing, or in value-added processing.
• Talking turkey in China, China Insight, 2007 - The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association received funding from USDA to explore the Chinese market for U.S.-raised turkeys.
• Turkey Market News Report, USDA - A timely report on the turkey domestic and export markets, including volume and prices.
• Turkeys, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook, Economic Research Service, USDA, March 2008 - This site provides the most recent production numbers and prices for poultry, including turkeys.

• The UK turkey and geese production industry: a short study, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, England, UK, 2007. 

Processing/Manufacturing

• American Association of Meat Processors - A meat trade organization with over 1,800 members, such as processors, wholesalers, retailers, caterers, home food serve companies and supplies to the meat industry.
• Developing Product Lotting and Coding Systems, Kansas State University, 2000 - Video that assists in the development of the HACCP system for poultry processing operations.
• Directory of Meat Processing Plants, University of Nebraska, 2004 - Available at the FoodMAP Web page, this directory, a USDA-funded project, helps to identify Midwest meat processors so that producers and producer groups can develop a better understanding of local meat processor’s capabilities, services and their level of interest in doing contract and/or custom meat processing.
• Federal Inspection Programs, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA - Programs for inspection and monitoring of all meat, poultry and egg products sold in interstate and foreign commerce to ensure compliance with mandatory U.S. food safety standards and inspection legislation. Includes information for and about processing establishments.
• Food Security guidance, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 2003 - Provides guidance for industry importers and filers for food security and preventive measures.
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Pathogen Reduction, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA  - Publications related to HACCP implementation.
• Labeling Claims and Policies, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA  - Provides guidance related to the label claims, policies and procedures on meat, poultry and egg products. View information about nutrition labeling and apply for approval of a specific label. 
• Processing Farm-Raised Poultry, Kansas State University, 2000 - Guide to home processing of poultry.
• State Inspection Programs, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA - Requirements for State Meat and Poultry Inspection programs that operate under a cooperative agreement with FSIS to enforce requirements “at least equal to” the federal regulations. Also available, “Official Contact Information by State” for the Cooperative Meat and Poultry Inspection Programs for those approved and participating states.

Production

• Process Verified Program, USDA - The program is in place to assist producers in marketing specific claims such as breed, feeding practices, or other raising and processing claims verified by the USDA and marketed as "USDA Process Verified."
• Small-Flock Turkey Production, Small-Scale and Part-Time Farming Project, Penn State, 2004  - This publication provides a good overview and contact information for producer and marketing associations and turkey breeders.
• Turkey Care Practices, University of California, 1998 - This publication provides extensive production management information.

Businesses/Case Studies

• Cooperatives and Contracting in Agriculture: The Case of West Liberty Foods, Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) Working Paper 05-WP 408, 2005 - The West Liberty Foods turkey cooperative was formed in 1996 to purchase the assets and assume operations of Louis Rich Foods (an investor-owned processing firm), which, at the time, announced the imminent shutdown of its West Liberty, Iowa, processing facility. The authors studied the creation and performance of this "new generation" cooperative using field interviews with grower members and company management.
• Jennie-O Turkey - Jennie-O Turkey Store currently employs 7,000 people in the United States. Throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, the company operates nine plants for processing, boning and value-added processing; 140 growing and breeder farms; eight feed mills; and four hatcheries.
• Michigan Turkey Growers - Bil-Mar Foods Division of Sara Lee announced it would stop slaughtering turkeys in its Zeeland, Michigan, plant in early 1998. As a direct result of the announcement, 17 turkey producers banned together and formed the Michigan Turkey Growers Cooperative during 1998.
• National Turkey Federation - Growers, processors, hatchers, breeders, distributors, allied services and state associations are members of the trade association. Links and contact information of processor members and state affiliates are provided.
• Norbest, Inc. - Headquartered in Utah, this federated marketing cooperative deals exclusively with turkeys and value-added turkey products. It is the oldest cooperative organization of its type in the world and ranks in the top ten turkey marketing firms in the United States. The cooperative has 125 independent producers/members from Utah and Nebraska.
• The New American Farmer (Turkey Farmer Profiles), Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE), USDA - This program offers producer profiles that look at how specific farmers are exploring sustainability.
• U.S. Poultry and Egg Association - This trade association represents the entire poultry industry, including producers of broilers, turkeys, ducks, eggs and breeding stock, as well as allied companies. The association also sponsors the International Poultry Exposition and provides a “Searchable Database” of over 860 industry exhibitors.
• Walters Poultry, Stilwell, Oklahoma - This farm family offers heritage turkeys for breeding and growing.
• West Liberty Foods, Ag Marketing Resource Center, 2003 - This business profile is about West Liberty Foods, which is owned by the Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative. The company focuses on turkey processing, value-added co-manufacturing and private labeling of turkey, beef, chicken and pork products.
• West Liberty Foods - Web site.

Links checked February 2008.