When people think of Indiana agriculture they think of corn and soybeans, and rightfully so. Those are the top two commodities in the state, but supporting those commodities are the strong poultry sectors in the state. Indiana is number one in the country in duck production, number two in total eggs produced, and number four in turkeys raised.
“There’s no secret that the majority of soybeans in Indiana goes to poultry,” says United Soybean Board director Tom Griffiths.
Griffiths farms in northeast Indiana’s Noble County and was one of the Indiana soybean farmers who traveled to Panama this week to see firsthand the issues at the Panama Canal with the Indiana Soybean Alliance.
While there, he also heard from many partner organizations that the Indiana Soybean Alliance helps fund to increase demand for soy. One of those organizations was the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, or USAPEEC.
“This is one of those opportunities for us to build these markets in Latin America to move some of our commodities through a value-added product like poultry.”
Griffiths provides a mental visual for farmers that really shows the importance of poultry to Indiana soybean farmers.
“If you’re running a 30-foot grain head, over 20 foot of that goes to poultry. If you carry 1,000 bushels on one of your semis, taking them to town or to the elevator, 610 bushels of that goes to poultry.”
USAPEEC is working hard to promote U.S. duck in Mexico, Colombia and Chile, as well as turkey throughout Mexico and Columbia. Griffiths says the work USAPEEC is doing there is critical, as poultry export numbers are down in the region.
“And that’s because of inflation, high path avian influenza, and we still haven’t recovered from COVID. So, not only do we need to build those back up to 2019 levels, we need to increase them to get rid of the some of the supply we have in the United States.”
USAPEEC is just one of the many organizations that Indiana soybean farmers help fund projects for through the Indiana Soybean Alliance, ultimately working to create more soybean demand. ISA says that for every $1 spent, the Indiana soybean checkoff returns over $12 back to the farm.
