Poultry holds No. 1 spot among state’s ag commodities

RAYMOND, Miss. -- An increase in broiler production and stronger egg prices led to a slight rise in the production value of Mississippi’s poultry industry for 2025.

Ranking first among Mississippi’s agricultural commodities for the 31st consecutive year, the poultry industry posted a total estimated production value of $3.73 billion. That’s a 2.3% increase from 2024.

“This increase in value is directly tied to the growth in broiler production that Mississippi has experienced,” said Jonathan Moon, poultry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “As more broilers are produced, the total pounds of high-quality poultry meat entering the market increase, which in turn drives higher overall production value.”

Mississippi produced 752 million broilers in 2025, ranking sixth in broiler production nationally.  The state ranks 20th in egg production nationwide.

Two industry segments make up the overall value of poultry: broilers and eggs. Broilers are worth an estimated $3.38 billion, up 1% from 2024. Estimated value for eggs stands at $351 million, up 15% from last year.

Josh Maples, an MSU Extension agricultural economist, said both an increase in production and stronger prices early in the year led to the jump in value of production on the egg side of the industry.

In December 2024, egg prices were almost double their current price after outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, reduced the number of layer hens nationwide.

“The supply of eggs has recovered from a year ago, which has helped to bring prices lower as 2025 progressed and could continue to lead to lower prices into the new year,” Maples said. “HPAI is always a threat, but its impact on prices is not uniform or predictable as it depends on when and where the losses occur.

“Roughly 40 million egg laying chickens have been lost to HPAI nationwide in 2025, but 30 million of those occurred during January and February,” he continued.

While multiple HPAI outbreaks nationwide over the last three years have caused egg prices to skyrocket at various times, the respiratory illness appeared only once in Mississippi in 2025.

In March, a flock of more than 47,000 broilers at a Noxubee County commercial poultry farm had to be euthanized after HPAI was detected. To prevent the spread of the extremely infectious respiratory illness, federal policy dictates flocks must be culled, or “stamped out,” when HPAI is confirmed.

“While the ideal scenario is, of course, zero outbreaks, having just one is a positive outcome given the circumstances. It could undoubtedly have been worse,” Moon said.

HPAI is one of the most significant challenges facing the industry and requires persistent vigilance, Moon said.

“While Mississippi has fared better than many other states, the ongoing threat of HPAI persists,” he said. “This constant risk drives regulatory agencies, academic institutions, the Extension Service, and Mississippi broiler integrators to continuously monitor the disease and evaluate biosecurity practices aimed at protecting and sustaining the industry.”

In addition to possible disease outbreaks, poultry producers, like other agricultural producers, continue to face multiple challenges that affect their bottom line, including utilities, insurance, labor, finance charges and higher costs of chicken house construction.

Despite this, they remain a robust, determined group. 

“Mississippi producers and integrators remain a strong force -- skilled, resilient, and effective in getting things done and doing them well,” Moon said.

Mississippi has six broiler integrators: Tyson Foods, Peco Foods, Koch Foods, Amick Farms, Mar-Jac Poultry and Wayne-Sanderson Farms. Cal-Maine Foods is the nation’s leading table egg producer and is based near Jackson.

Poultry was followed by forestry with a total estimated production value of $1.47 billion and soybeans with an estimated value of $1.01 billion.