Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 10/15/18


Hurricane Michael’s impact on the poultry industry took a toll in Georgia and Alabama, but operations in other Southeast states — already reeling from Hurricane Florence — seemingly were not as badly hit by the latest storm.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture reported that at least 90 chicken houses were destroyed or significantly damaged as Michael swept through the state, killing more than 2 million chickens. Farms, dairies and processing plants in 10 Georgia counties were impacted by Michael, which made landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm and moved north and east last week. Poultry contributes $23 billion toward Georgia’s annual economy, the agency says.

Alabama lost 2,000 pullets and 31,000 broilers thanks to Michael, with three broiler houses completely destroyed and between 50 and 75 chicken houses experiencing slight to moderate damage, officials at the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association told Meatingplace in an email. The state’s poultry industry contributes $15 billion in revenue annually and represents 65.5 percent of Alabama’s annual farming revenue, according to the association’s website.

Officials at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have yet to release any poultry damage reports from Hurricane Michael, but the state already is in recovery mode from Hurricane Florence. North Carolina lawmakers over the weekend approved a commitment of $794 million in additional Hurricane Florence relief funding, bringing the total disaster recovery commitments to $850 million, according to a report from WBTV.

South Carolina and Virginia agricultural agencies also have not released information on Hurricane Michael’s impact on poultry operations in those two states.

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