Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Egg flock size linked to profitability as well as salmonella

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

According to a report in USA Today published in early September, there is a definite link between large flock size and Salmonella enteritidis. Not to mention large flock size and . . . profitability.

Citing a paper destined for publication in January in the journal Poultry Science, the newspaper says that, on average, large-scale U.S. layer operations with more than 100,000 hens per house are four times more likely to test positive for Salmonella enteritidis than smaller houses with fewer than 100,000 hens. The story also referred to the low profit margins that egg producers make on a dozen eggs.

Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University, East Lansing, pegged the break-even point for farmers producing conventional eggs in a cage system at about a million birds.

With fewer numbers, operators aren't producing enough eggs to be able to clean and pack them on site for sale straight to supermarkets. Middlemen suck the profits out of the deals.

Another reason some farms have grown larger is because, to sell to major retail grocers and fast-food restaurants, "you must get large enough to fill their needs not only for the eggs needed, but also to meet their requirements for food safety and animal welfare," says Mitch Head, spokesman for the United Egg Producers.

Does that mean those farms in Illinois, where half a billion eggs were recalled after salmonella sickened 1,400 people, weren't big enough? BF

Current Issue

December 2024

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Alveo Technologies enters agreement with CDC

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Alveo Technologies, Inc.—a leader in molecular sensing and diagnostics with its proprietary IntelliSense molecular detection technology—has announced it received an agreement issued by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a competitive basis to develop a... Read this article online

The case of the mysterious cabbage dump

Monday, November 25, 2024

According to an article from www.PelhamToday.ca, someone dumped a load of cabbage on the property of Wilowhead Family Farm in Elora, Ontario. The cabbages were all cut in half—and no, the farm nor its neighbours were expecting a delivery. Checking security cameras, the farm... Read this article online

University of Guelph looking for new OAC Dean

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

A position has opened at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). The OAC is looking for a new Dean to lead the school into the future. The ideal candidate is “a visionary leader who shares its commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service, and who... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2024 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top