DELMARVA - The Delmarva chicken community raised 613 million chickens and produced 4.6 billion pounds of chicken in 2024, generating $4.8 billion in sales, according to the Delmarva Chicken Association (DCA).
DCA says in addition to chicken production, the Delmarva chicken industry spent $1.3 billion on feed ingredients, including corn, wheat and soybeans, and paid $902 million in wages to its employees, excluding benefits. Family farmers who raise chickens under contract earned $327 million in contract payments, marking a 1.8% increase in earnings when adjusted for inflation compared to 2023. According to DCA, 1,206 farm families and 17,947 chicken company employees worked throughout 2024 to produce chicken.
“As a family farmer, raising chicken is one of the most important things I do in my community,” said Mary Lou Brown, DCA’s president in a press release. “It’s heartening to know the more than 1,200 chicken growers like myself here on Delmarva make this much of an impact on our economy.”
DCA says the region’s chicken companies also invested in infrastructure, with $187 million spent on capital improvements to processing plants, hatcheries and wastewater treatment systems. Additionally, $392 million was invested in packaging and processing supplies. According to DCA, chicken growers have also invested in conservation practices on their farms, focusing on water quality protection through vegetative buffers, stormwater management, and pollinator-friendly areas.
The full 2024 report from the Delmarva Chicken Association can be found online.
