The last year has been one of strain for poultry and egg producers across the country and in Iowa. The return of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza caused a loss of flocks and concerns that we could see another 2015. We got through the spring with fewer bird losses than in 2015 in Iowa. However, the disease spread further around the country, and it really hasn?t gone away.
We did get a respite over the summer, but since then the migration of birds has brought it back again. The winter looks to have not killed off the virus again. But there is some ray of optimism for poultry producers to cling to. Christine McCracken is a Senior Protein Analyst with RaboResearch, and she talks about the impact we saw from HPAI in 2022.
As of now, there are some cases still popping up, even here in Iowa. However, this year is starting off less severe than last. That may work to our advantage.
McCracken says this should lend itself to prices coming down in grocery stores.
This is why McCracken feels poultry and egg producers can have a cautious sense of optimism for the immediate future. While we aren?t out of the woods yet, things seem a little calmer at this time.
