HDR1012000150070826961500Turkeys Released August 26, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Turkeys" call Jim Brewster at (202) 720-8784, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the NASS Information Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. Turkeys Raised 1 Percent Above 1995 The preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United States during 1996 is 297 million, 1 percent above the 293 million raised during 1995. If realized, this total will represent a new record number of turkeys raised, surpassing last year's previous record. The following six States are expected to account for about two-thirds of the turkeys produced in the United States during 1996: North Carolina is forecast to continue as the nation's leader in turkey production with 59.5 million birds, down 6 percent from the January 1996 Intentions and 3 percent less than 1995. Minnesota ranks second with 43.0 million, 2 percent more than the January Intentions and up 6 percent from a year ago. Arkansas is in third place by producing 27.0 million birds. This is 10 percent less than January Intentions but 4 percent more than a year ago. Virginia is now the nation's fourth largest producing State with 25.0 million birds, up 2 percent from January Intentions and 6 percent above a year ago. California is in fifth place with 23.0 million birds, matching the January Intentions but 5 percent more than last year's production. Missouri expects to raise 21.5 million turkeys, down 14 percent from January Intentions and 4 percent below a year earlier. Pou 3-2 (8-96) Turkeys: Number Raised by Selected States and United States, 1995-96 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : 1996 State :-------------------------------------------------: as % of : 1995 1/ : 1996 : 1995 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------- 1,000 Head ---------- Percent : AR : 26,000 27,000 104 CA : 22,000 23,000 105 CO : 4,300 4,200 98 CT : 15 13 87 GA : 1,450 600 41 IL : 3,600 3,300 92 IN : 14,200 14,200 100 IA : 8,000 8,000 100 KS : 1,600 1,770 111 MD 2/ : 260 310 119 MA : 105 100 95 MN : 40,500 43,000 106 MO : 22,500 21,500 96 NH : 17 20 118 NJ : 88 81 92 NY : 505 510 101 NC : 61,200 59,500 97 ND : 1,750 2,300 131 OH : 6,500 6,500 100 PA : 11,500 11,700 102 SC : 6,120 8,000 131 SD : 2,800 2,800 100 VT : 31 31 100 VA : 23,500 25,000 106 WV : 4,800 4,500 94 : Oth Sts 3/ : 29,515 28,767 97 : US : 292,856 296,702 101 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Includes DE. 3/ MI, NE, OK, OR, TX, UT, and WI combined to avoid disclosure of individual operations. Turkeys Raised Estimates Data Sources: The Turkey Hatchery Survey provides the basis for the preliminary Turkeys Raised estimate published in August. Turkey hatchery estimates are made in 19 States each month and provide the number of eggs in incubators and poults placed in production. Another additional seven States survey hatcheries periodically to collect data for the Turkey Raised estimates and for the "Annual Hatchery Summary". Data on poults placed into the United States from Canadian hatcheries are also included in the preliminary estimate. Estimation Procedures: Turkeys Raised preliminary estimates include young turkeys intended for meat production, as well as breeder turkeys which reached maturity during the calendar year. These estimates exclude turkeys lost to disease or those destroyed. Placement of turkey poults from the monthly "Turkey Hatchery" survey provide the basis for the preliminary estimates published in August. Final estimates, published in January, use indications from the December Growers Survey in addition to updated hatchery data. Other indications for the final estimates are obtained from monthly slaughter totals and check-off data provided by individual State turkey or poultry associations. Generally, individual State data are not published if there are less than three operations in a State, or if any one operation has 60 percent or more of the total turkeys in the State. These data are combined into the "Other States" category. Reliability: Turkeys raised preliminary estimates are based on a census of known active hatcheries and, therefore, have no sampling variability. However, estimates may be subject to errors such as omissions, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing of the data. These errors are minimized through strict quality controls in the edit and summarization process, and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Revision Policy: Estimates for the previous year are subject to revision when preliminary raised estimates are made in August. Revisions are primarily based on updated hatchery and slaughter data, and at the U.S. level, are usually less than one-half of one percent of the final estimate published in January. Estimates are also reviewed after data from the Department of Commerce's five-year Census of Agriculture are available. No revisions are made after that date. The next "Turkeys" report will be released in January 1997. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (TDD). 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