Turkey producers see meat prices, feed
costs as opportunity to win market share
Panelists at the National Turkey Federation convention identi;ed
opportunities for turkey as pricing and product valuations continue to shift
in the meat and poultry protein categories.
BY GARY THORNTON
;;Turkey producers not only see current high
meat prices and feed costs as an opportunity to
win market share from beef and pork, they tend
to see themselves as the underdog protein that
punches above its competitive weight. Perhaps
Perdue Foods President Jim Leighton had
this in mind when he cited best-selling author
Jim Collins’ book, “How the Mighty Fall and
Why Some Companies Never Give Up,” dur-
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Per capita consumption, selected meats and poultry
Pounds, retail weight
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When you’re the white-meat protein with the lowest per capita consumption, disruptions in consumer purchasing patterns can become market openings.
USDA long-term projections, February 2012
ing a panel discussion at the National Turkey
Federation convention. Turkey producers are
taking aim at the mighty in meat protein market
share — especially beef.
It was against this economic backdrop that
Leighton and fellow panelists identi;ed opportunities for turkey to win market share as pricing and product valuations continue to shift in
the meat and poultry protein categories. They
pinpointed the need for companies to develop
higher-value ground products, strengthen or develop new relationships in marketing channels
and increase turkey exports.
The panel included executives from the
No. 1, No. 3 and No. 8 ranked turkey companies in the United States and the United
States Department of Agriculture Agricultural
Marketing Service of;cial responsible for
commodity procurement. Theirs was not a
Pollyannaish outlook for turkey but a calculated
assessment of market openings at a time when
value propositions are in ;ux and customers
and consumers are reevaluating their protein
options.
Hidden opportunity in the drought
The ongoing drought, the current 50-year
low in cattle numbers and record-high beef
