Louisiana Land Conservation Assistance Network

By: Theresia Lavergne, Ron E. Sheffield, Brian D. LeBlanc, and Karen E. Nix

Poultry production is Louisiana’s largest animal industry and its $1.5 billion contribution to the state’s economy makes it the second-largest segment of Louisiana’s agricultural industries. The Louisiana poultry industry consists of broiler producers and egg producers. Commercial broilers are produced by 350 growers in 11 parishes including Bienville, Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Sabine, Union, Vernon, Webster and Winn. There also are 580 commercial and small table egg producers in Louisiana housing more than 1 million egg-laying hens and producing more than 21 million dozen eggs. On-farm receipts from broiler production, breeder flocks and table egg production bring in nearly $812 million. Poultry processing and other value-added enterprises doubled this amount to nearly $1.9 billion. Poultry production represented the largest part of the $2.6 billion in economic contributions by animal agricultural industries in Louisiana for 2010. It ranks second only to forestry in its overall economic contribution to the state. Poultry  production, by its nature, requires specific practices to conserve and protect soil and water resources.


(Produced by LSU AgCenter Communications, Pub. 2806)

 

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