HDR1012000150070826971500Turkeys Turkeys National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released August 26, 1997, 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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Turkeys Raised Fractionally Above 1996 The preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United States during 1997 is 303 million, fractionally above the 303 million raised during 1996. 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 1997: North Carolina is forecast to continue as the nation's leader in turkey production with 55.5 million birds, down 2 percent from the January 1997 Intentions and 7 percent less than 1996. Minnesota ranks second with 46.0 million, 6 percent more than the January Intentions and last year's production. Arkansas is in third place by producing 29.0 million birds. This is 6 percent less than January Intentions but 4 percent more than a year ago. Virginia is now the nations's forth largest producing State with 25.0 million birds, down 9 percent from January Intentions but unchanged from a year ago. Missouri is in fifth place with 22.5 million birds, 4 percent less than the January Intentions but 2 percent more than last year's production. California expects to raise 21.5 million turkeys, matching the January Intentions but 4 percent below a year earlier. Pou 3-2 (8-97) Turkeys: Number Raised by Selected States and United States, 1996-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : 1997 State :------------------------------------------------------: as % of : 1996 1/ : 1997 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head Percent : AR : 28,000 29,000 104 CA : 22,500 21,500 96 CO : 4,800 4,400 92 CT : 8 5 63 GA : 550 3/ 3/ IL : 3,300 3,300 100 IN : 14,000 14,200 101 IA : 8,000 7,500 94 KS : 1,750 1,750 100 MD 2/ : 360 460 128 MA : 80 80 100 MN : 43,500 46,000 106 MO : 22,000 22,500 102 NH : 15 10 67 NJ : 73 70 96 NY : 520 520 100 NC : 59,500 55,500 93 ND : 2,300 2,500 109 OH : 6,800 6,900 101 PA : 11,700 12,000 103 SC : 9,100 10,500 115 SD : 3,100 3,200 103 VT : 35 35 100 VA : 25,000 25,000 100 WV : 4,500 4,600 102 : Oth Sts 3/ : 31,217 31,289 100 : US : 302,708 302,819 100 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Includes DE. 3/ MI, NE, OK, OR, TX, UT and WI combined to avoid disclosure of individual operations. Includes GA beginning in 1997. 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 23 States each month and provide the number of eggs in incubators and poults placed in production. Another state surveys 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 1998. 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's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). 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