21Īnother factor stimulating dramatic growth in the poultry industry has been depressed prices in other segments of agriculture. 20 Further, poultry has historically been much cheaper than red meat, thus providing an economic incentive for consumption, in addition to the health benefits. 19 From 1971 to 1990, total farm value of Arkansas poultry and egg production increased 493 percent. 18 As health-conscious Americans become even more so, and Arkansas poultry producers expand into fertile overseas markets, there seems to be no end to the dramatic growth of this industry. ![]() Moreover, a shift in dietary habits of Americans from red meat to poultry has been a catalyst for this industry. ![]() ![]() 15 To support this enterprise, the poultry industry "is Arkansas' largest single buyer of virtually every commodity in the state, from paper clips to eighteen wheelers from south Arkansas pulpwood and timber, to east Arkansas feed grains from natural gas and electricity to water and telephone service from typewriters and computers to fenceposts and petroleum products." 16 This commercial trade has generated a large amount of local, state, and federal tax liability, thus making the poultry industry the state's largest taxpayer. The capital investment needed to provide the infrastructure for this industry is estimated at $ 2-3 billion. 13 More than 4,000 new jobs were created by the industry in the past year. 11Īrkansas ranks near the bottom of the nation in per capita income, 12 yet the average employee of an Arkansas poultry company earns in excess of $ 17,500 per year, including benefits. 10 Taking into account the employees of poultry industry suppliers, one out of ten Arkansas jobs depends on the business. 9Approximately 84,000 Arkansans work in the poultry industry - about one out of twelve members of the entire state's work force. 8Over $ 1.3 billion was paid in direct salaries to employees of Arkansas poultry companies, and $ 1.4 billion was paid by these companies to the estimated 25,000 suppliers of the state's poultry industry. This poultry production machine is making an incredible economic impact upon this poor southern state. 6And 1990 was a bad year poultry receipts were down in 1990 by three percent from the $ 1.89 billion generated in 1989. 5The cash receipts from these sales included $ 1.38 billion for broilers, $ 260.6 million for eggs, and $ 185.8 million for turkeys. 4Arkansas ranks sixth nationally in egg production and fourth in turkey production, generating 3.6 billion eggs and 22 million turkeys in 1990. 3The entire crop value of Arkansas, one of the top agricultural states in America, was therefore surpassed by poultry production.Īrkansas is the top broiler-producing state with 951.2 million birds. 2Yet in 1990 alone, Arkansas generated poultry production valued at $ 1.84 billion. 1The total value of these and other crops produced in 1990 totaled $ 1.6 billion. In 1990, the state produced 38.7 percent of the rice grown in the United States, and Arkansas is also a major producer of soybeans, cotton, wheat, hay, and oats. An Industry OverviewĪrkansas is ranked among the top states in the nation in agricultural production. The damage caused to Arkansas' environment is likely great but hopefully reversible. Let us hope that they are brought into play soon. The state has done little to address the problem, but federal remedies are available. This paper examines how this environmental catastrophe has developed, and what can be done to correct the problem. Moreover, the pollutants mentioned are just two ingredients of a deadly mix that the Arkansas environment absorbs daily from poultry waste. For example, on a daily basis the Arkansas poultry industry dumps 300 pounds of arsenic, and urine/feces equal to the daily waste generated by a population of eight million people, all absent treatment or regulation. On the other, there stands a near pristine environment being slowly but surely destroyed. On one hand, there exists a thriving industry providing jobs, big salaries, and tax revenues. The issue has developed into a classic environmental morality play. However, as rural America was transformed in immutable ways by the industrial revolution, Arkansas has recently been changed by an innocuous little bird. ![]() With a total population no greater than many cities, Arkansas has enjoyed and maintained a rural atmosphere. The successful campaign of the former governor of Arkansas, President Bill Clinton, focused the nation's attention on the small southern state. This article looks at the effect of Arkansas' extensive poultry industry, which operates without regulation, on the environment, wildlife, fish and water quality.
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