Thanks USDA, Iowa Elected Leaders, and Egg Community
Iowa Poultry Association applauds USDA’s decision to include frozen and liquid eggs in their Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This decision comes after months of working with State and National Leaders including Senators Ernst and Grassley, Representatives Peterson (MN) and Axne, Governor Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Naig, as well as USDA staff, especially Under Secretary Northey and his office.
Executive Director of the Iowa Poultry Association, Kevin Stiles, stated, “I am pleased to see USDA’s announcement. With nearly 70% of Iowa’s layer flock’s egg production dedicated to the breaker egg market, our farmers found themselves not only managing a pandemic, but an unexpected market disruption with the closing of schools, restaurants and hotels.”
“I would like to thank the Iowa Poultry Association Board, Egg Industry Center, and others in the egg community as well as Iowa’s elected leaders, USDA, and Secretary Perdue for acknowledging impact of COVID-19 on our egg farmers,” Stiles continued.
Iowa is home to over 58 million egg-laying hens and about 1 in 6 eggs consumed in the United States each year. As an integral part of the state’s economy, the egg industry is responsible for as much as $2.6 billion in total economic activity, supporting 7,084 jobs and directly employing 2,398 people.
