2008 was a year the poultry industry would rather forget, but the outlook for 2009 is brighter, according to Tom Hensley, president of Fieldale Farms in Baldwin, Georgia. He presented “The Industry Outlook: An Executive Management Perspective” at the International Poultry Expo this morning.

Hensley is optimistic about this year. “You can’t be in the chicken business unless you’re an optimist at heart,” he says. “I think that our feed costs are going to come down.”

While he believes ethanol production has impacted the industry tremendously, he thinks there will eventually be some equilibrium. “We love our corn growers, without them we don’t exist – chickens can’t eat anything but corn. But I still say corn’s coming down.”

Listen to my brief interview with Tom here:
ipe-09-hensley.mp3

You can also download the interview here: Hensley Interview (mp3).

International Poultry Expo Photo Album

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