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MARCH 2009 volume 114 number 3

2008 Egg Industry Survey

Jim Sumner, USAPEEC: Working tirelessly to promote exports

Management of floor-housed flocks

PAACO trains auditors in poultry welfare standards Products

Editorial with Simon Shane Industry News

Market place

2008 Egg Industry Survey:
Producers expect drop in egg prices in 2009
Supply and demand, pro ts and welfare rank as top issues of concern.

TOP COMPANY RANKINGS (LAYERS IN PRODUCTION 12/31/2008)

Company .............................total layers Cal-Maine Foods.................. 28,600,000 Rose Acre Farms.................. 21,600,000 Sparboe Summit Farms....... 12,000,000 DeCoster Egg Farms ............ 11,800,000 Moark LLC............................ 11,600,000 Michael Foods ..................... 11,200,000 Daybreak Foods ..................... 9,200,000 Ohio Fresh Eggs..................... 7,200,000 Fort Recovery Equity.............. 6,200,000 Midwest Poultry Services...... 6,000,000 Rembrandt Enterprises.......... 5,600,000 ISE America ........................... 5,537,000 Hillandale Farms of PA .......... 5,500,000 Center Fresh Egg Farms ........ 5,300,000 Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch ...... 5,300,000 Freemont Farms of IA ............ 5,200,000

Company .............................total layers Hickman’s Egg Ranch............ 4,100,000 Maxim Egg Farm.................... 4,000,000 Wabash Valley Produce.......... 4,000,000 Weaver Brothers .................... 4,000,000 Dutchland Farms ................... 3,500,000 National Food......................... 3,500,000 Sunrise Farms Inc.................. 3,500,000 Creighton Bros. ...................... 3,064,000 Kreider Poultry Farms............ 3,000,000 Mahard Egg Farms ................ 2,800,000 Valley Fresh Foods ................. 2,500,000 Bras well Foods ...................... 2,300,000 RW Sauder ............................. 2,300,000 Hamilton Farm Bureau........... 2,200,000 LaValle Egg Farms ................. 2,100,000 S & R Egg Farms.................... 2,100,000

Company .............................total layers
Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. .............. 2,070,000
Esbenshade Farms ................ 2,000,000
Gemperle Enterprises ............ 2,000,000
Willamette Egg Farms............ 2,000,000
Demler Enterprises ................ 1,900,000
Dixie Egg/Foodonics/
United Egg Marketers ............ 1,800,000
Sunrise Acres......................... 1,660,000
J. S. West ................................ 1,648,500
Radlo Foods
(Mountain Hollow Farms)....... 1,600,000
Berne Highway Hatchery ....... 1,500,000
Hemmelgarn & Sons.............. 1,412,800
Cooper Farms ........................ 1,400,000
Kreher Farms ......................... 1,340,000
Delta Egg Farms .................... 1,300,000

Company .............................total layers Ritewood Egg Farm ............... 1,300,000 Konos Inc. .............................. 1,250,000 Pine Hill Egg Ranch................ 1,250,000 L & R Farms ........................... 1,193,000 Pearl Valley Eggs ................... 1,105,000 Dorothy Egg Fram.................. 1,100,000 Morning Fresh Farms ............ 1,100,000 Wilcox Farms ......................... 1,100,000 Dakota Layers Coop............... 1,000,000 Sioux County Egg Farms........ 1,000,000 Sunrise Farms LLC................. 1,000,000 SKS Enterprises ........................ 800,000 Egg Innovations ........................ 650,000 Rindler Poultry.......................... 600,000 Nature Pure LLC........................ 210,000 Total................................... 245,090,300

By Dr. Simon Shane

This year Egg Industry expanded the range of questions and solicited responses only from producers.

We thank the more that 50% of those who responded. Questionnaires were processed by a disinterested aide, who entered values into a database with no identi cation as to origin.

The database was processed by a consulting statistician who developed summary tables and con rmed the validity of the responses. Analysis did not show any bias attributable to self-selection, non-response and withholding of information.