Eurodon launches first turkey brood at Russian hatchery

Eurodon introduced the launch of the first poult brood at the Russia’s largest turkey culturing incubator. 
Eurodon has introduced the launch of the first turkey poult brood at the Russia’s largest turkey culturing incubator. It’s located at Ust-Donetsk region of Rostov region in the south of Russia.
The incubator capacity is 17.6 million hatching eggs per year. The incubator is equipped with high-tech innovative equipment supplied by German company Hartmann. The hatching machines are provided by Petersime. An estimated 64,000 eggs were placed in special chambers at once. The first poults hatched in 28 days and were settled in special nursery housings.
The hatchery was built in a record time, with the land planning and excavations starting in August 2014. and May 2015 it became fully functional.
The project is a part of a new widescale turkey meat production complex, which will let Eurodon increase the production from 45 to 130 thousand tons of turkey meat per year.
The head of the company,  Vadim Vaneev, succeeded to attract  RUB18 billion (US$320 million)  to increase production capacity of the company. Project funding was approved by Vnesheconombank.
The company is actively building new poultry facilities on 30 construction sites covering 740 square meters. All of the objects will be united by a single technological cycle: poultry houses, incubator, meat processing plant, feed plant, motor company and many secondary productions.
Completion of the project will let Eurodon to increase overall turkey production up to 130 thousand tons by the end of 2016.
The successful completion of Eurodon projects will allow the company to create 65,000 jobs.

FarmGate Hatcheries develops smaller turkey breed

A new breed developed to help producers meet the growing demand for smaller Christmas turkeys is being introduced this season by FarmGate Hatcheries. The Super Mini Special has been bred to achieve hens that will meet the demand for 4-kilogram (8.8-pound) oven-ready turkeys when grown to full maturity from 22 weeks plus.
“The 4-kilogram weights are so hard to get from other small breeds grown from June hatches,” said Paul Kelly, managing director of FarmGate Hatcheries, of Danbury, Essex, U.K.  “We’ve tried and tested this new breed over the past four years and it’s perfect for guaranteeing the 4-kilogram over ready weight band, with the stags giving great 6 to 8 kilograms over ready turkeys.”
The Super Mini Special has been developed from pure bronze-feathered male and female pedigree lines used in producing the company’s Tiny and Super Mini poults — an essential feature of the breeding program.
“Our small breeds of bronze turkeys are the genuine article, bred from a bronze mother and a bronze father,” said Paul Kelly. “[They are] expensive to produce, but bulletproof when it comes to a probing press and food journalists.
“We’re also very pleased with the meat quality of our small breeds.  In our own kitchen we’ve found the Super Mini Special to have a particularly high meat yield, with delicious eating qualities and very fine textured meat.”
Limited supplies of poults of this new breed will be available, in both bronze and white, both as sexed hens and as-hatched, from mid-May and after.

Hybrid Turkeys, Ag Forte finalize agreement to sell poults in US

Hybrid Turkeys USA LLC (Hybrid) and Willmar Poultry Company, doing business as Ag Forte, have finalized agreements in which Hybrid will take ownership and responsibility of Ag Forte’s USA grandparent operations. Additionally, under the agreement, Ag Forte will produce commercial eggs and poults under contract to Hybrid.
The agreement, which was first announced in October 2014, took effect January 30.
“I am thrilled that we have finalized this agreement with Ag Forte, and look forward to a supportive relationship going forward. I am confident that these agreements will better serve our customers in the USA. Hybrid now offers a complete genetic package for the turkey industry from parent stock to commercial poults and eggs,” said Dave Libertini, managing director of Hybrid Turkeys.
Over the next 12 months, Hybrid will assume full responsibility for the sales of all Hybrid commercial poults produced under contract by Ag Forte. This will allow Hybrid as a primary breeder to focus even more on the needs of the customers in the United States, while Ag Forte focuses on producing top quality poults.
Peter Gruhl, Hybrid director of customer service, has been appointed to lead the commercial activities of Hybrid in the United States and will lead the relationship with AgForte as a supplier to Hybrid.
“We take great pride in our relationship with, and focus on, the customers in the USA and around the world,” said Gruhl. “Now, with this agreement in place, the Hybrid sales and technical service teams will become even closer to the commercial customer base in the USA. I think this is a great opportunity for Hybrid to help our customers achieve their goals.”
To support the success of this new arrangement, a joint quality committee has been formed between Hybrid and Ag Forte. The purpose of the committee is to work with customers with quality concerns and to establish performance improvement plans to address them. Hybrid’s representatives on this committee are Dr. Helen Wojcinski, director, Science and Sustainability, and Gruhl.
Hybrid will also purchase the Moundridge, Kansas, grandparent production farms from AgForte and will lease the Neosho, Missouri, hatchery for the near term. Hybrid now has three strategic locations for its grandparent activities; United States, Canada and France. Frank Henderson has been appointed to lead the USA operations team for Hybrid.
Scott Rowland, director of operations, said: “With secure production bases in Canada and in France, the USA is a logical next step for us. The farms are a solid addition to our asset base and there is a great team in place to deliver excellent results from these facilities.”
Hybrid Turkeys is the global leader in turkey genetics with breeding and distribution activities around the world. Hybrid is a business unit of Hendrix Genetics, a privately held, international multi-species breeding company. Based in Boxmeer, the Netherlands, Hendrix Genetics has operations in 24 countries around the world with activities in layer, turkey, swine, traditional poultry and aquaculture breeding.

Ag Forte producing poults for Hybrid Turkeys, Valley of the Moon

Willmar Poultry Company/Ag Forte (Ag Forte) will begin producing commercial Poults for Hybrid Turkeys and Valley of the Moon. This new direction offers structural changes aimed at stabilizing Ag Forte’s core business and accelerating the speed of execution and deployment of new technologies to support a larger segment of the industry.
This change includes:


• Ag Forte’s plan to exit its current role selling commercial eggs and poults in order to concentrate on the production of eggs and poults for Aviagen and Hendrix Genetics
• A commitment to achieve growth by deploying proprietary technology with the emphasis of adding value to day-old poults
• An announcement renewing Ag Forte’s focus on investing in the next-generation of disruptive technologies
• A challenge for Ag Forte’s leadership team in our ongoing focus on quality, results and accountability
Ag Forte will immediately begin the transition of its production capability to produce eggs and poults for the primary breeders.
“We have heard the request for ‘choice’ from our customers and we are thrilled to deliver this new paradigm for the industry. We are entrusting our long-term customers to other sales teams, but we will continue to focus where it matters the most: delivering the best quality poults in the world, regardless of breed,” said Rick Vanderspek, president of Ag Forte. “This change will create the opportunity for the industry to access the genetics of their choice while continuing to source poults from our facilities.”
Current customers should note that as Ag Forge works diligently on this long-term transition, there is an absolute commitment to current customers that deliveries will be met and contracts now in force will be honored.
While Ag Forte views operational excellence and consistency as the hallmark of its value, a long history of research and development (R&D) has also been a primary driver of long-term success. An important consideration in making this decision is that this change will give the entire industry access to the company’s technology.
Ag Forte also announces that its sustained release HE vaccine (SRV) is ready for testing in a field environment. The company’s delivery of innovative solutions won’t end there, as R&D plans to launch an array of SRP vaccines during the upcoming year. The company’s technology businesses will focus on the release of proprietary industry innovations, which includes a system to provide feed and water to poults before and during delivery to customers. These developments are core to the company’s strategy to keep the turkey industry on pace with other meat proteins in the arena of animal care and shifting away from the reliance on antibiotics to optimize performance. Today’s consumers want assurance that their food is produced in an environment that optimizes the wellbeing of the animals and protects the environment and Ag Forte is committed to constant improvement in this area.
“Our company is at a critical juncture, where significant change is necessary and inevitable in our journey forward,” said Vanderspek. “Today, we are accelerating that change down a new path, aimed to further the long term sustainability of our business by reinforcing our core platform while realizing goals and returns for the investments in our technologies to help ensure a bright future.”
Ag Forte is based in Willmar, Minnesota.

Turkey hatchery data show slowdown in US turkey production

The U.S. turkey industry is scaling back production, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s September 16 Turkey Hatchery report indicated.
According to the hatchery report, turkey eggs in incubators on September 1 were at their lowest level in the past 13 months. Turkey eggs in incubators on September 1 totaled 25.5 million, down 3 percent from September 1, 2012, and down 8 percent from the August 1 total.
The number of turkey poults hatched during August in the United States totaled 22.8 million, down 4 percent from August 2012 and down 3 percent from the July total of 23.6 million poults.
Net poult placements during August 2013 in the United States were at 22.4 million, a 4 percent decline from the same month in 2012 and a 6 percent decline from the previous month. 

Turkey eggs in incubators see monthly increase of 2 percent

The number of U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on July 1 was estimated at 27 million, a two percent increase from the nearly 26.5 million turkey eggs recorded on June 1, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's Turkey Hatchery report, released on July 15.
The figures showed the first increase since April 1, but still lag behind the 29.8 million turkey eggs in incubators recorded on July 1, 2012.
Turkey poults hatched in the United States during the month of June totaled 21.2 million, down 4 percent from May and down 15 percent from June 2012. There were 21 million net poult placements during June, a 3 percent drop from the number of poult placements in May and a 16 percent drop from the number placed in June 2012. 

US turkey poult hatchings, placements drop 13 percent in May

Turkey poults hatched and placed both dropped 13 percent during the month of May, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Turkey Hatchery report, released on June 17. Turkey eggs in incubators also dropped 13 percent as of June 1.
Turkey poults hatched during May in the United States totaled 22.1 million, down from May 2012, when the number of poults hatched reached 25.5 million. Poults hatched were also down 4 percent from the April total of 23 million poults.
The 21.8 million net poults placed during May in the United States were down from the 25.1 million placed during May 2012. Net placements were down 2 percent from the April total of 22.1 million.
Turkey eggs in incubators on June 1 in the United States totaled 26.4 million, down from the 30.4 million reported on June 1, 2012. Eggs in incubators in June were up slightly from the May 1 total of 26.3 million eggs. 

Poults hatched, placed in March down significantly from a year ago

The number of turkey poults hatched and placed in March both dropped by substantial amounts when compared to the same month in 2012, the USDA's latest Turkey Hatchery Report reveals.
Poults hatched in the United States during March totaled 21.7 million, which is down 14 percent from the 25.2 million reported in March 2012. It was also a 2 percent decline from last month's hatchings at 22.2 million, and the lowest amount of poults hatched since Sept. 2012, which was calculated at 21.4 million.
Net poult placements in the U.S. for March were at 21.1 million, down 16 percent from the number placed the same month a year ago, which was 25.1 million. Placements were also down 2 percent from the February total of 21.6 million. Similarly to the scenario with poult hatchings, the March placements were at their lowest since Sept. 2012, where the total was 20.8 million.
The report also showed that turkey eggs in incubators on April 1 totaled 27.4 million, down three percent from the same date one year ago. The April 1 figure for eggs in incubators was, however, a four percent increase from the March 1 egg count.
States reporting turkey hatcheries include Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. 

Number of turkey eggs in incubators up from 2012

The number of turkey eggs in incubators on February 1 is up slightly from the same time in 2012, but turkey poults hatched and net poults placed in January 2013 are both down one percent from the same month in 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s February Turkey Hatchery report stated.
Turkey eggs in incubators on February 1 totaled 28.1 million, up one percent from the 27.9 million egg total from 2012. Poults hatched in January totaled 24.1 million, down from January 2012 numbers and up up 9 percent from the December 2012 total of 22 million poults.
The 23.3 million net poults placed during January were also down by a percent from the same time in 2012, but net placements were up 9 percent from the 21.4 million poults placed in December 2012, according to the report.

US turkey eggs in incubators down from December

U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on January 1 totaled 28.1 million, down 1 percent from the same date in 2012, but the number of eggs in incubators was up 5 percent from the December 1, 2012, total of 26.7 million eggs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest turkey hatchery report.
Turkey poults hatched during December 2012 totaled 22 million, down 11 percent from December 2011, according to the report. Poults hatched were down 7 percent from the November 2012 total of 23.7 poults.
The 21.1 million net poults placed during December 2012 were down 12 percent from the number placed from December 2011, and net placements were down 9 percent from the November total of 23.2 million.
For more U.S. poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html. 

October US turkey production up 11 percent

U.S. turkey meat production in October totaled 580 million pounds, 11 percent higher than in 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report.
Much of the year-over-year gain was due to the two more slaughter days in October 2012, which more than offset the reverse situation in September (two fewer slaughter days), where turkey meat production fell by 4 percent compared with 2011. Over the last three months, turkey production has totaled 1.56 billion pounds, 4.3 percent higher than in the same period in 2011. In October, much of the increase in turkey production was due to a higher number of birds slaughtered, up 7.3 percent, but a 2.4-percent gain in the average liveweight of birds at slaughter to 29 pounds also played a role, according to the USDA.
Cold storage holdings of turkeys and turkey parts totaled 454 million pounds at the end of October. This 68-million-pound reduction from September was driven by many whole turkeys being taken out of storage in preparation for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Between the end of September and the end of October, stocks of whole turkeys fell by 47 million pounds and stocks of turkey products fell by 21 million pounds, according to USDA numbers.
Even with the decline in whole turkey stocks, the stocks were still 25 percent higher than at the same time in 2011. In contrast, the stocks of turkey products (196 million pounds) were down 2 percent from 2011 numbers. This increase in cold storage holding for whole turkeys is a significant change from earlier in 2012 and is expected to place downward pressure on prices for the rest of fourth-quarter 2012 and into 2013.
Over the first 10 months of 2012, turkey poults placed for growout totaled 239 million, an increase of 3.1 percent from the same period in 2011, according to the USDA report. Over the last three months, the percentage change from 2011 has varied considerably, with the number of poults hatched in August and September down (2 and 7 percent). However, in October the number of poults placed totaled 22.7 million, a gain of 6 percent from 2011 numbers. Given higher stocks and lower prices for whole birds, turkey producers are expected to lower production in 2013.

For more U.S. poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.

US turkey poults up in October

U.S. turkey poults hatched during October totaled 23.3 million, up 4 percent from October 2011 numbers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report.
Poults hatched were also up 9 percent from the September 2012 total of 21.4 million poults. The 22.7 million net poults placed during October were up 6 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011, according to the report. Net placements were up 9 percent from the September total of 20.8 million.
Turkey eggs in incubators on November 1 in the U.S. totaled 27.3 million, down 1 percent from November 1, 2011. Eggs in incubators were up 1 percent from the October 1 total of 27.0 million eggs, according to the USDA.
For more U.S. poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html. 

US turkey numbers down in September

U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on October 1 totaled 26.5 million, down 2 percent from October 1, 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report. Eggs in incubators were up 1 percent from the September 1 total of 26.4 million eggs.
Turkey poults hatched during September totaled 21.5 million, down 7 percent from September 2011 numbers. Poults hatched were down 10 percent from the August total of 23.8 million poults, according to the USDA. The 21.4 million net poults placed during September were down 4 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011. Net placements were down 9 percent from the August 2012 total of 23.4 million.

US turkey eggs, poults up in July

U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on Aug. 1 totaled 28.7 million, up 1 percent from 2011 numbers but down 4 percent from the July 1, 2012 total of 29.8 million eggs, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Turkey poults hatched during July totaled 25.6 million, up 3 percent from July 2011 numbers and up 2 percent from the June 2012 total of 25 million poults. The 25.2 million net poults placed during July were up 1 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011. Net placements were also up 1 percent from the June 2012 total of 24.9 million, according to the USDA. 

US turkey poults up in May over 2011 numbers

U.S. turkey poults hatched during May totaled 25.5 million, up 6 percent from May 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report.
Poults hatched were also up 5 percent from the April total of 24.3 million poults. The 25.1 million net poults placed during May were up 5 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011, according to the USDA. Net placements were up 2 percent from the April total of 24.7 million. Turkey eggs in incubators on June 1 totaled 28.5 million, up 1 percent from June 1, 2011. Eggs in incubators were down 4 percent, however, from the May 1 total of 29.6 million eggs.
For more poultry statistics and information, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.  

US turkey eggs, poults up over 2011 numbers

U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on May 1 totaled 30 million, up 8 percent from 2011 numbers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report. Eggs in incubators were up 6 percent from the April 1 total of 28.2 million eggs.
Turkey poults hatched during April totaled 24.2 million, up 2 percent from April 2011 numbers. Poults hatched were down 4 percent from the March total of 25.2 million poults. The 23.8 million net poults placed during April were up 2 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011, according to the report. Net placements were down 5 percent from the March total of 25.1 million.
For more poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.  

US turkey eggs, poults up in March

U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on April 1 totaled 28.2 million, up 2 percent from April 1, 2011, according to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but down 3 percent from the March 1 total of 29 million eggs.
Turkey poults hatched during March totaled 25.2 million, up 4 percent from March 2011 numbers. Poults hatched were up 9 percent from the February total of 23.2 million poults. The 24.8 million net poults placed during March were up 5 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011 and up 9 percent from the February total of 22.9 million. These numbers show 2012 U.S. turkey production on track to beat 2011 production by 3.2 percent, according to the USDA.

US turkey eggs, poults down slightly from 2011 numbers

U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on March 1 totaled 28.3 million, down slightly from March 1, 2011, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
The numbers were up 1 percent, however, from the February 1 total of 28 million eggs. Turkey poults hatched during February totaled 22.9 million, down 1 percent from February 2011 numbers, and were down 6 percent from the January 2012 total of 24.5 million poults.
The 22.3 million net poults placed during February were up 1 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011. Net placements were down 6 percent from the January total of 23.6 million, according to USDA data.
For more poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.  

US turkey production forecast up for 2012

U.S. turkey hatchery data showed that the number of poults being placed during the second half of 2011 was higher in four out of five of the last months and that it was again higher (4.6 percent) in January, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Poult placements are expected to remain above 2011 numbers as the number of turkey eggs placed in incubators has been higher than 2011 at the beginning of both January and February. With expected increases in poult placements, the turkey meat production estimates for 2012 was increased somewhat in all four quarters with the total for 2012 rising to 5.92 billion pounds, up 2 percent from 2011.
First-quarter 2012 turkey meat production is now forecast at 1.4 billion pounds, up slightly from 2011, with stronger increases expected later in 2012 as turkey producers raise production in response to the strong prices for whole birds that existed throughout 2011 and into 2012. The higher production is expected to come primarily from more birds being slaughtered, but a small increase in average liveweight at slaughter is also expected.
Turkey meat production in January totaled 477 million pounds, an increase of 3 percent from the same time in 2011 and January 2011 was over 9 percent higher than January 2010. The increase in production was the result of both a higher number of turkeys being slaughtered (up 2.9 percent) and a small increase in the average weight of birds at slaughter to 30.9 pounds (0.3 percent higher).
Year-over-year increases in production are expected to continue in both February and March, with production during first-quarter 2012 expected to be about 1 percent higher than 2011 numbers. Growth in turkey meat production is expected to continue throughout the remainder of 2012 as higher prices provide the incentive for higher production. 

US turkey poults hatched, placed up in January

U.S. turkey poults hatched during January totaled 24.3 million, up 1 percent from January 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report. Poults hatched were down 2 percent from the December 2011 total of 24.7 million poults. The 23.6 million net poults placed during January were up 5 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011. Net placements were down 1 percent from the December 2011 total of 23.8 million. Turkey eggs in incubators on February 1 in the U.S. totaled 28.6 million, up 1 percent from February 1, 2011. Eggs in incubators were up 1 percent from the January 1 total of 28.3 million eggs.