By TOM KELLY
Editor and Publisher

Poultry production is the largest animal agricultural industry in Louisiana, and is moving ahead of forestry in economic importance in the Piney Woods region. While forestry continues as the largest agricultural commodity by a three-to-one margin over poultry in Louisiana, poultry leads pines in total farm value (not including value added manufacturing) in the 12 north and central Louisiana parishes where commercial poultry production is based, with poultry leading forestry by significant amounts in the parishes of Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Sabine, and Vernon.

In 2003, total farm value of poultry was $588,359,243, a major $98,891,334 ofer the $494,467,909 for forestry. Figures shown here and following, of course, do not include the value of manufactured products, which is significant for forest products, but also for processed poultry products.

Statewide, poultry is second only to forestry in total income produced by all agricultural commodities, according to the year 2003 edition of Louisiana Summary: Agricultural and Natural Resources issued earlier this year by the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center.

The 2003 AgCenter report says almost one billion pounds of broilers were produced in 2003, with a gross farm value of $596.7 million. There were 422 broiler producers in 2003, with commercial broiler production in 12 parishes, including Bienville, Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln, Livingston, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Sabine, Union, Vernon, Webster, and Winn.

A total of 111 breeder flocks produced 31.7 million dozen eggs with a gross farm value of $12 million. Also, there were 1,010 edible egg producers, producing 28.1 million dozen eggs with a farm value for commercial egg production of $23.6 million.

Total farm income from poultry production - including breeder flock operations, broilers, and edible eggs - was $634,628,459 in 2003, approximately two-thirds that of forestry, says the LSU AgCenter. Total farm value of forestry statewide was $956,351,993 for 2003.

With value added from manufacture in 2003 in the two industries, the total forestry economy was $3,701,082,214, and poultry was $1,243,871,780, or approximately one-third that of forestry.

The farm value comparison for 2003 in the 12 poultry and pine parishes shows:

Similar comparison for 1999 indicates significant differences in the emerging relationships between poultry and forestry. Whereas forestry clearly dominated the agricultural economy in the 12-parish region just five short years ago, poultry has edged ahead and shows signs of continuing its growth, as forestry stabilizes or declines. The 1999 farm value totals were:

Forestry's lead over poultry statewide is by virtue of being more widespread. Wood using industry and commercial forestry operations are in every one of the state's 64 parishes, whereas commercial poultry operations are concentrated in the 12 north and central Louisiana parishes.