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Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Egg flock size linked to profitability as well as salmonella

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

According to a report in USA Today published in early September, there is a definite link between large flock size and Salmonella enteritidis. Not to mention large flock size and . . . profitability.

Citing a paper destined for publication in January in the journal Poultry Science, the newspaper says that, on average, large-scale U.S. layer operations with more than 100,000 hens per house are four times more likely to test positive for Salmonella enteritidis than smaller houses with fewer than 100,000 hens. The story also referred to the low profit margins that egg producers make on a dozen eggs.

Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University, East Lansing, pegged the break-even point for farmers producing conventional eggs in a cage system at about a million birds.

With fewer numbers, operators aren't producing enough eggs to be able to clean and pack them on site for sale straight to supermarkets. Middlemen suck the profits out of the deals.

Another reason some farms have grown larger is because, to sell to major retail grocers and fast-food restaurants, "you must get large enough to fill their needs not only for the eggs needed, but also to meet their requirements for food safety and animal welfare," says Mitch Head, spokesman for the United Egg Producers.

Does that mean those farms in Illinois, where half a billion eggs were recalled after salmonella sickened 1,400 people, weren't big enough? BF

Current Issue

September 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Festival of Guest Nations returns to Leamington

Friday, September 12, 2025

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, Seacliff Park in Leamington, Ontario, will come alive with music, food, and celebration as the Festival of Guest Nations returns to honour the migrant worker communities who play a vital role in Essex County’s agricultural economy. With more than 20 years... Read this article online

York Region launching new Agri-Food Startup Program

Thursday, September 11, 2025

A new program in York Region is designed to help entrepreneurs find their footing in the food space. The 14-week hybrid Agri-Food Start-up Program partners entrepreneurs with local organizations like the Foodpreneur Lab, Syzl, York Region Food Network, and the Chippewas of Georgina Island... Read this article online

Corn and Soybean Diseases Spread This Season

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

As reported on the OMAFRA website fieldcropnews.com, as well as in previous articles by Farms.com, the 2025 growing season is nearing its end with corn and soybean farmers in Ontario and the U.S. Corn Belt facing disease challenges that reflect changing weather conditions. For corn, two... Read this article online

Wheat Output Decline Projected for 2025

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Statistics Canada’s latest modelled estimates suggest that wheat production in Canada will decline slightly in 2025, driven primarily by weaker yields across several regions. National output is expected to edge down 1.1% to 35.5 million tonnes, with yields forecast to fall 1.2% to 49.6... Read this article online

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