Drought to Compound Economic Losses on Poultry and Grain Sectors in Spanish Lookout

Raymond Barkman

Dairy farmers are also staring down a drought that is expected to have serious consequences on the sector. The poultry farmers and grain growers are also expected to take a big hit as a result of the drought. Raymond Barkman of the Quality Poultry Products explains how the drought will affect their poultry sector and other grain growers.

Raymond Barkman, Managing Director, Quality Poultry Products

“The people who get affected most obviously are the row crop farmers and the grain farmers; not meaning that the chicken farmers don’t get affected because the chicken business is a big cycle because if we don’t get corn then we don’t have food for the chickens. I am not directly into the feed mill or the farming side of life which is where the rains become more problematic with grains and so forth which means food to feed the chickens. So, obviously it is the same people who have chickens are raising the corn and using their same corn to feed the chickens. So, if they can’t get corn to feed their chickens then obviously it is double whammy for them in the chicken business, so of course it is a concern.”