DELMARVA- Production in the poultry industry may have decreased from 2019 to 2020 but the need for workers and their pay increased.
The Delmarva Chicken Association says the five percent drop in production was caused primarily by workers getting COVID- 19. Plus, the decreasing demand caused by restaurants, schools, and other suppliers shutting down. Director Holly Porter says the demand grew as the pandemic continued.
“The U.S. consumer is going to consume about one hundred pounds of chicken per year,” Porter said. “So, that demand is still there. You know, it’s a good protein, cost effective cost efficient protein that consumers want.”
President of the Delaware Farm Bureau Richard Wilkins says part of the production decrease may be in part thanks to the distribution process. The closure of businesses that needed chicken caused more consumers to cook at home.
“It took a little bit of time for adaptation, but the resiliency of our system did shine in the way that we were able to adapt and made sure that no American went hungry,” Wilkins said.
For local farmers like Georgie Cartanza, the start of the pandemic was like a quick flip of a switch but not knowing where to go next. The cycle of getting chickens and having them leave was up in the air..
“I would get the times of when they would be coming to catch the birds and I think they did them maybe over two or three nights and it was like I know when they are going to go but are they going to go,” Cartanza said. “You know, it was kind of an unknown.”
Whether you are in the fields or in a facility, one thing stood firm. The poultry industry is a key fixture of Delmarva's economy.