2008 TURKEY OUTPUT IN NEW YORK EXPECTED TO DECREASE

New York turkey producers expect to raise an estimated 630,000 turkeys during 2008, according to the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service, New York Field Office. This total will be 2 percent below the 640,000 birds raised in 2007.

The preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United States during 2008 is 271 million, down slightly from the number raised during 2007.

The following six States are expected to account for about two-thirds of the turkeys produced in the United States during 2008: Minnesota, at 49.0 million turkeys, is up 2 percent from last year; North Carolina, at 39.0 million turkeys, is unchanged from last year; Arkansas, at 31.0 million turkeys, is unchanged from a year ago; Virginia, at 21.0 million turkeys, is unchanged from 2007; Missouri, at 20.0 million turkeys, is unchanged from last year; and Indiana, at 15.9 million turkeys, is up 5 percent from last year. The information in this release is available by free email subscription by subscribing to New York reports at www.nass.usda.gov/ny.

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8-26-08