Turkey                                                                          
Hatchery                                                                        
                                                                                
     National                                                                   
     Agricultural                                                               
     Statistics                                                                 
     Service                                                                    
                                                                                
USDA                                                                            
Washington, D.C.                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
Released November 14, 1997, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service     
(NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture.  For     
information on "Turkey Hatchery" call James Brewster at (202) 720-8784, office  
hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
          Eggs in Incubators on November 1 Down 3 Percent                       
                                                                                
Turkey eggs in incubators on November 1, 1997, in the United States totaled     
30.9 million, down 3 percent from November 1 a year ago.  Eggs in incubators    
were down 3 percent from the revised October 1 total of 31.9 million.           
Regional changes from the previous year were: E N Central, down 4 percent; W N  
Central, up 7 percent; N & S Atlantic, down 8 percent; S Central, down 4        
percent; and West, down 8 percent.                                              
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
            Poults Placed During October Down 3 Percent                         
                                                                                
The 24.6 million poults placed during October 1997 in the United States were    
down 3 percent from the placements during the same month a year ago.            
Placements were up 3 percent from the revised September 1997 total of 23.9      
million.  Regional changes from the previous year were: E N Central, down 4     
percent; W N Central, up 14 percent; N & S Atlantic, down 13 percent; S         
Central, down 3 percent; and West, down 7 percent.                              
                                                                                
             Turkey Hatchery Production:  Monthly Poult Placements,             
                            United States, 1996-98 1/                           
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        :        Total All        : Percent :       Cumulative        : Percent 
        :         Breeds          :   of    :          Total          :   of    
  Month :-------------------------:Previous :-------------------------:Previous 
        :  1996-97   :  1997-98   :  Year   :  1996-97   :  1997-98   :  Year   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        :   ------ 1,000 ------     Percent    ------- 1,000 ------     Percent 
        :                                                                       
Sep     :   24,154       23,907       99        24,154       23,907       99    
Oct     :   25,354       24,587       97        49,508       48,494       98    
Nov     :   23,830                              73,338                          
Dec     :   27,119                             100,457                          
Jan     :   27,121                             127,578                          
Feb     :   27,145                             154,723                          
Mar     :   27,610                             182,333                          
Apr     :   28,220                             210,553                          
May     :   29,120                             239,673                          
Jun     :   28,380                             268,053                          
Jul     :   30,092                             298,145                          
Aug     :   26,321                             324,466                          
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  Excludes exported poults.                                                   
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                  Eggs in Incubators:  First of Month by Region                 
                and United States, November 1997 with Comparisons               
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :            :            :            :Percent of:Percent of
     Geographic    :   Nov 1    :   Oct 1    :   Nov 1    : Previous : Previous 
      Division     :    1996    :    1997    :    1997    :   Year   :  Month   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :   ------------- 1,000 ------------       --- Percent --    
                   :                                                            
E N Central        :    4,854        4,587        4,682        96        102    
W N Central        :    8,664       *9,306        9,298       107        100    
N & S Atlantic     :   11,199       11,715       10,332        92         88    
S Central          :    4,190       *3,728        4,013        96        108    
West               :    2,761        2,542        2,541        92        100    
                   :                                                            
US                 :   31,668      *31,878       30,866        97         97    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Revised.                                                                      
                                                                                
          Poults Placements:  Entire Month by Region and United States,         
                        October 1997 with Comparisons 1/                        
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :            :            :            :Percent of:Percent of
     Geographic    :    Oct     :    Sep     :    Oct     : Previous : Previous 
      Division     :    1996    :    1997    :    1997    :   Year   :  Month   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :   ------------- 1,000 ------------       --- Percent --    
                   :                                                            
E N Central        :    3,667        3,250        3,511        96        108    
W N Central        :    6,382        7,077        7,292       114        103    
N & S Atlantic     :    9,908        8,646        8,629        87        100    
S Central          :    3,230        2,722        3,130        97        115    
West               :    2,167        2,212        2,025        93         92    
                   :                                                            
US                 :   25,354       23,907       24,587        97        103    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*   Revised.                                                                    
1/  Regional placements refer to poults placed from hatcheries located in that  
    region, and not the actual location of the birds after placement.           
    Regional Listing:                                                           
                                                                                
     North Atlantic = CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT.                       
     E North Central     = IL, IN, MI, OH, WI.                                  
     W North Central     = IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD.                          
     South Atlantic = DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV.                           
     South Central  = AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, OK, TN, TX.                           
     West      = AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY.            
                                                                                
                                                                                
                     Turkey Hatchery Estimates                                  
                                                                                
Data Sources:  Primary data for the "Turkey Hatchery" report are collected      
from weekly and/or monthly questionnaires sent to turkey hatcheries in 23       
States.  An attempt is made to collect hatchery information from all known      
hatcheries in these 23 monthly States.  Approximately 65 hatcheries are         
contacted each month.                                                           
                                                                                
Revisions:  Revisions are generally the result of late or corrected data and    
are usually less than 1 percent at the U.S. level.  Revisions to the previous   
month are published in the monthly "Turkey Hatchery" report, while annual       
revisions are published in the "Hatchery Production - Annual Summary" report    
at the end of the marketing year.  The annual report also includes data for     
one State which reports on an annual basis only.                                
                                                                                
Procedures and Reliability:  Hatcheries are mailed a questionnaire and given    
adequate time to respond by mail.  Those that do not respond by mail are        
called by phone.  Diligent effort is made to ensure that all hatcheries are     
accounted for in the estimate.  An allowance is made for all non-reporting      
hatcheries.                                                                     
                                                                                
Accumulated poult placements beginning on September 1 and ending on August 31   
are shown in the monthly "Turkey Hatchery" report.  This time period            
corresponds with the placements of poults which will reach maturity and be      
available for slaughter during the calendar year.  Only regional and U.S.       
level estimates are published due to the limited number of hatcheries           
involved.  Regional placement data in the report refer to placement of poults   
from hatcheries located in that region, not the actual location of the birds    
after placement.  Poults exported out of the U.S. and poults imported from      
outside of the U.S. are not included in the report.                             
                                                                                
Turkey hatchery estimates are based on a census of operating hatcheries and,    
therefore, have no sampling error.  However, they may be subject to errors      
such as omission, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and        
processing the data.  These errors are minimized through strict quality         
controls in the edit and summarization process, and a careful review of all     
reported data for consistency and reasonableness.                               
                                                                                
States in the monthly estimating program are:  Arkansas, California, Colorado,  
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New        
Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South    
Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.    
The next "Turkey Hatchery" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on December     
15, 1997.                                                                       
                                                                                
                                                                                
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in  
its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age,  
disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status.  Persons with    
disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program         
information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA's   
TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).                                  
                                                                                
To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington,      
D.C., 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or 202-720-1127 (TDD).  USDA is an  
equal employment opportunity employer.                                          
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                        ACCESS TO REPORTS!!                                     
                                                                                
                                                                                
For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data       
products, and services:                                                         
                                                                                
                          INTERNET ACCESS                                       
                                                                                
All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet.  For   
access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at:                
http://www.usda.gov/nass/.  Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then   
Reports by Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject.       
                                                                                
                        E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION                                     
                                                                                
All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your    
e-mail address.  Send an e-mail message to:                                     
usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu.  In the body of the message type the     
word:  list.                                                                    
                                                                                
                                                                                
                          AUTOFAX ACCESS                                        
                                                                                
NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine.  Please    
call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax.  Respond to the      
voice prompts.  Document 0411 is a list of available reports.                   
                                                                                
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -               
                PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS                                
                                                                                
 CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK:   800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada)                
Other areas, please call 703-834-0125                FAX:  703-834-0110         
(Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.)               
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -             
                                                                                
                           ASSISTANCE                                           
                                                                                
For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information      
about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics     
Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail:                  
nass@nass.usda.gov.                                                             
                                                                                
                USDA Announces Data Users Meeting                               
                Embassy Suites (near KCI Airport)                               
                      Kansas City, Missouri                                     
                         January 7, 1998                                        
                                                                                
The National Agricultural Statistics Service will be organizing an open forum   
for Data Users.  The purpose will be to provide updates on pending changes in   
the USDA statistical and information programs including the status of the 1997  
Census of Agriculture, and to seek comments and input from data users.  Other   
agencies to be represented will include the Agricultural Marketing Service,     
the Economic Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and the World  
Agricultural Outlook Board.                                                     
                                                                                
                     For registration details                                   
            NASS home page:  http://www.usda.gov/nass/                          
               Bob Milton (NASS) at (202) 720-3570                              
                       rmilton@nass.usda.gov                                    
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
          USDA Announces Agricultural Outlook Forum  98                         
                     February 23 and 24, 1998                                   
                         Washington, D.C.                                       
         Presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture                        
                                                                                
                    Survey the New Frontiers.                                   
Survey the frontiers of agriculture at USDA's seventy-fourth outlook forum.     
Catch the latest commodity prospects for 1998 and beyond and receive new        
long-term projections to the year 2007.  Hear noted experts and farm leaders    
tackle front line issues: managing risk, selling bio-engineered                 
products, ensuring food safety, marketing organic foods, honing export          
strategies, and more.                                                           
                                                                                
Act Now To Attend. For program and registration details check the Forum home    
page, call (202) 720-3050, or dial (202) 694-5700 from your fax machine         
handset and retrieve document 66666.                                            
                 Call (202) 401-9421 to register.                               
                                                                                
  Ag Forum home page:  http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/agforum.htm                 
                   e-mail: agforum@oce.usda.gov