Poultry production at top of list in northwest Arkansas, region 

Poultry Federation Executive Vice President Blake Rollins has only been on the job several months, but he’s no stranger to agriculture or northwest Arkansas.  

Rollins, along with Dave Caldwell, discussed the poultry industry during the Ag Media Summit Arkansas Ag Tour in late July. The Poultry Federation is a three-state trade association that represents the industry in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.  

“We really focus on chicken, turkey and eggs,” Rollins said. “There’s other fowl out there, but these are the ones that we represent. Our membership includes every link in the poultry supply chain; not just the processing, but think about the feed milling, the hatcheries, packaging, egg production, marketing, and all the support service providers that make it possible.” 

Rollins shared several “big picture” thoughts about the industry and its workforce. Caldwell, the head of department of poultry science at the University of Arkansas, is also the director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science. 

“It’s just a simple truth here that food security is national security,” Rollins said. “We can’t feed ourselves, can’t lead the world, and with rising geopolitical tensions, stressed supply chains, the United States really has to double down on building food security, energy security, and a domestic manufacturing base that allows us to take care of ourselves and our allies.” 

Everyone needs a powerful reminder that agriculture is not just an industry.  

“It’s truly the foundation of civilization, and a strong rural America is essential to a strong United States,” he said. 

In Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, the tri-state region is a powerhouse for poultry, plus its central to the state’s economies.  

“Nationally, the poultry industry supports more than 2 million jobs in the United States—over $660 billion in total economic impact,” he said. “One thing that’s not often talked about is the tax revenue that comes from poultry industry is about $33 billion in federal taxes, a little over $21 billion in state and local taxes.” 

The poultry industry supports many rural jobs and the average wage is about $60,000 a year, he said. 

“These are good paying jobs that don’t require a college degree or an urban zip code, and they ripple outward to the benefit of every part of the ag economy,” Rollins said. “And one thing I think that’s often missed is the interplay between row crop farmers and poultry industry.” 

According to Rollins, about a third of the diet of a broiler chicken is soybeans, the other two-thirds is corn.  

“The poultry industry isn’t just an end user of those products. The poultry industry drives demand for our row crop friends in a way that benefits them and rural America,” he said. 

Arkansas produces more than a billion chickens per year, ranking third nationally. The state raises 27 million turkeys and is ranked third. The state produces 3.9 billion eggs and is 10th.  

“One thing to keep in mind is that over half of the ag cash receipts in Arkansas is from the poultry industry,” he said. “And so as you look at the importance of the industry to Arkansas, agriculture is the No. 1 industry. Poultry is half of the agriculture economy in Arkansas. The jobs of more than 175,000 Arkansans are connected to the poultry industry. That’s direct and indirect.” 

Rollins believes the total economic impact to be estimated “north of” $50 billion. There are more than 6,500 family farms producing poultry in the state too.  

Oklahoma and Missouri are ranked near the top as well in poultry. 

“Missouri produces about 300 million chickens, seventh nationally; 17 million turkeys, fifth nationally; 4.1 billion eggs, ninth nationally, which is a growing a growing industry in Missouri,” Rollins said. “In Oklahoma, 215 million broilers, that’s 12th nationally, north of $10 billion in economic impact.” 

The poultry industry supports nearly 67,000 jobs contributes almost $24 billion to Missouri’s economy, he said. In Oklahoma, about 33,000 jobs are connected to the poultry industry as well.  

“One thing I like to have folks keep in mind is these are not just jobs that are connected to the poultry industry,” he said. “Directly think about all the aspects of the agriculture economy and how it works together. The industry creates opportunities for soybean and corn farmers, equipment suppliers, bankers, accountants, real estate brokers, logistics experts, IT professionals, and many other industries that support the industry.” 

Behind all the statistics are the people, often rural and blue-collar people, who Rollins said wake up early, work hard and are producing tangible value for their families, communities and country.  

There is also an opportunity for first-generation farmers. “It’s less land, less capital,” he said. “Oftentimes we’ll have a partner, be an integrator to work with them, so we see more opportunities for first generation farmers and poultry at times.” 

He said to think about the truck driver keeping the cold chain moving or the mechanic keeping feed mills running, or a welder working in the area to stay close to home. 

“These folks make up the poultry industry and help keep rural Arkansas and rural America together,” Rollins said. “If we’re serious about feeding the future, we need people who build things.” 

The Poultry Federation is a proud partner of an organization started by the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce, Be Pro Be Proud, Rollins said. 

“It’s a workforce initiative that tells young people you don’t need a four-year degree to have a six-figure salary if you’re a welder, a diesel tech, electrician, refrigeration expert, and be a critical part of the food supply chain and stay close to home,” he said. “There are lots of opportunities and challenges in agriculture, we could go through the list labor shortages, aid in influence, global competition, regulatory issues, but I think that the opportunities in technology and investments in automation and efficiency are accelerating.” 

Efficiency

The feed conversion ratio in the poultry industry is noteworthy. A broiler can take 1.69 pounds of feed and produce a pound of meat, he said. 

“That is truly remarkable in terms of the efficiency level,” he said. “They’re protein packed, nutritionally dense and efficient, and one of the things for that is research, including research here at the University of Arkansas.” 

Rollins said U of A has been offering poultry science classes since 1911 and students today used modern techniques with precision practices.  

Education

Caldwell said industry in the region has asked for there to be opportunities Rollins described.  

“They wanted us to have a very robust program in this area, on this campus, and they’ve been great supporters of our program through the years, and we’re really proud to be here to serve them,” he said. “We have a comprehensive program.” 

There are 22 faculty members in the Department of Poultry science, ranging from genetics to nutrition to welfare. Plus the Center of Excellence brings in broader disciplines like ag engineering, law, among others. 

“We really get multi-disciplinary in the center, and I think that helps us serve our stakeholders better,” Caldwell said. 

The Tyson family has been important to the agricultural community in northwest Arkansas, and have been very supportive of “all things poultry,” he said.  

“And I think all things northwest Arkansas, for many decades,” he said. “Our research facilities are really close to them. We’re right across the street here in this farm complex. We’re most proud of the facility that Blake described that’s referred to as the smart farming facility. It’s very high tech. A lot of automated data capture systems and sensor anything that can assist the producer or our researchers with making real time decisions, not having to wait until you get the final data from a full production cycle, if you will.” 

Technologies being used in commercial industry are at the student’s fingertips. 

“That technology is currently being used in the commercial industry, and the industry came forward with donations and supported us in building this facility so that we can train our students and assist our researchers by having the most modern technology available today,” he said. 

Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].