NELA Chicken Farmers Still Worry as Fosters Nears Opening
By: Rudy Williams
Updated: June 22, 2009
When governor Bobby Jindal announced recently that foster farms had purchased the idled pilgrim's pride plant folks in Farmerville and all over Northeast Louisiana breathed a sigh of relief. But, now chicken growers have new worries.
It is because not all chicken farmers are getting chicks. In all, Butch Sensely’s family has 15 farms, but not even he has got full houses. Only five have chicks. Sensley is not alone. He says only 70 percent of the more than 600 hundred chicken growers in Northeast Louisiana have been chosen to get the first round of chicks.
Sensely says not even all of them have gotten shipments and he says farmers are not getting much word from Fosters on if they will. He says much of that decision depends on the condition of a grower’s houses and he dose not necessarily think that is fair.
"If you hadn't upgraded, you can't get a contract," Sensely told me. "I have an 8 house farm, which have a different cooling system than these houses. I can't tell you if those houses are gonna be used."
Sensely says he was chosen based on his productivity as a chicken farmer with pilgrim’s pride. Other chicken farmers will find out in the next 2 weeks if they will make the next cut. Officials at LSU Agricultural Center told me Fosters Farms will be looking at another set of criterion to determine which farmers will get chicks in the next batch.
It is because not all chicken farmers are getting chicks. In all, Butch Sensely’s family has 15 farms, but not even he has got full houses. Only five have chicks. Sensley is not alone. He says only 70 percent of the more than 600 hundred chicken growers in Northeast Louisiana have been chosen to get the first round of chicks.
Sensely says not even all of them have gotten shipments and he says farmers are not getting much word from Fosters on if they will. He says much of that decision depends on the condition of a grower’s houses and he dose not necessarily think that is fair.
"If you hadn't upgraded, you can't get a contract," Sensely told me. "I have an 8 house farm, which have a different cooling system than these houses. I can't tell you if those houses are gonna be used."
Sensely says he was chosen based on his productivity as a chicken farmer with pilgrim’s pride. Other chicken farmers will find out in the next 2 weeks if they will make the next cut. Officials at LSU Agricultural Center told me Fosters Farms will be looking at another set of criterion to determine which farmers will get chicks in the next batch.
