Photo courtesy of USDA ARS.

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 13.6 pounds per person in 2007. According to the USDA, turkey production in 2007 reached 2.8 million metric tons (MT), 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.  February 2009 ... Turkey


Marketing

• International Affairs, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA - International Affairs information for the agricultural export market.
• Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook; Economic Research Service (ERS); USDA - This site provides the most recent production numbers and prices for poultry, including turkeys.
• LPES Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) fact sheets - This set of fact sheets assists livestock and poultry producers in dealing with revised federal regulations for CAFOs.
• 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.
• Number of Turkeys Sold: 2007 Inventory, 2007 Census of Agriculture, National Ag Statistical Service (NASS), USDA, 2009.
  
• Overview of the U.S. Turkey Industry, NASS, USDA, 2007.
• Poultry, U.S. Baseline Briefing Book, Food and Ag Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), University of Missouri, 2008.
• Poultry Meat and Eggs, FASonline, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), USDA - This Web site offers statistics on turkey production, imports, exports, and consumption.
  
• Process Verified Program, Ag Marketing Service (AMS), 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."
• Turkeys, Poultry and Egg Market News Reports, AMS, USDA.
• The UK turkey and geese production industry: a short study, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, England, UK, 2007.
• USDA Agricultural Projections to 2017, ERS, 2008 - Contains long-range projections covering supply, demand, prices and other economic variables for major U.S. crop and livestock sectors.
• 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.
• U.S. Trade Internet System, FAS, USDA.

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.
  
• Federal Inspection Programs, 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.
  
• Labeling and Consumer Protection Staff, 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, 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, “State Officials Addresses” for the Cooperative Meat and Poultry Inspection Programs for those approved and participating states.

Production

• Poultry and Eggs, ERS, USDA.
  
• 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.
• 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.
  

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.
• Diestel Family Turkey Ranches, Sonora, California, PCC Natural Markets, Seattle, Washington, 2004.
• 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.
• 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.
• Turkey Farmer Profiles, The New American Farmer, SARE, USDA - Five producers from five different states raise turkeys as part of their diverse farming operation.
• 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 January 2010.