WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) - For many, chicken wings are a necessary staple of a Super Bowl Sunday diet. But getting one’s hands on the bite-sized bits may be easier said than done thanks to a spike in corn prices.
According to a press release posted Tuesday on the official website of the National Chicken Council in Washington, D.C., the increase in the cost of corn, in tandem with other factors, has resulted in fewer birds produced overall.
“Chicken companies produced about one percent fewer birds last year, due in large part to record high corn and feed prices,” Bill Roenigk, chief economist and market analyst, was quoted as saying. “Corn makes up more than two-thirds of chicken feed and corn prices hit an all-time high in 2012, due to two reasons: last summer’s drought and pressure from a federal government requirement that mandates 40 percent of our corn crop be turned into fuel in the form of ethanol.”
He added, “Simply put, less corn equals higher feed costs, which means fewer birds produced.”
Officials at the NCC additionally noted that wing consumption on game day has decreased as a result, to the tune of 12.3 million fewer wings total.
The nation will still dine on an impressive amount of chicken wings, however – an estimated 1.23 billion wings are expected to be eaten during the Feb. 3 showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report released earlier this month on the 2012 growing season showed farmers harvested 10.78 billion bushels of corn, less than three-fourths of what the agency predicted last spring.
W T F is an understatment. Bill Roenigk pizzed me off so I found another quote of his from Jan. 7 2013.
Roenigk is optimistic about chicken exports.
"Chicken exports could be up 5% to 10% next year, even though production will be down about 1% according to USDA," he said. "We will have an over-abundance of dark meat and leg quarters, but there are some countries, such as Mexico, China and Africa, that want them and will pay better than domestic customers," he said.
Production down 1% but exports are up 10%. It's not Ethanol, he just found a more lucerative market for chicken.
Maybe the football industry needs to adjust their prices so fans can afford food and go to the game.
This is a marketing opportunity. The po' t-tuggers continue to increase production, up another 4 plus % here in WI. Since the "quota" word gets shot down........
PIZZA instead of chicken wings.
Yuppppeeers, take some of that number 666, the Stein they culled, grind her up, load on the cheese topping and problem solved. It's PIZZA an all American food.
Of course this football thingy is of no interest to myself. Football season ended with the San Fran vs. Packers game. Who cares now, lol??????
that report is partly right a grower usly has the birds 50 to 54 day days here and then 14 turn around I saw those figures go to a 7 day on some 28 on others during the summer all houses are just about alike some are older and a lot newer some growers control their air better thus they loose less birds so they get their birds bick eirler then the others are strung along to try and get then out of the hot days depending on house size 20 to 25000 birds I have seen some growers loose as many as 100 to 800 a day thats adds up fast in that many hot days and a eight pound bird can not take a lot of heat and yes the price of corn has hurt some companys they can"t just raze their price unless they all do so come the oll saying ONLY THE STRONG SURIVE in both cases their is the main reason for less birds----------------------dave
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