There's just a phenomenal amount of people in that area of the world, and the demand has been growing steadily where almost every company in the U.S. now will pack them separately for export. Traditionally beef eaters, Russians and Eastern Europeans haven't had much access to poultry or beef, Johnson explains. With his company's abundance of poultry, as well as bulk beef, cheese and eggs, Columbia Farms is able to supply. It exports to the Caribbean and Mexico, as well as Europe and along the Pacific Rim. The one area that has no need for South Carolina-grown chickens is South America, Johnson says.
Brazil is the only country in the world that can compete with the United States on a costwise basis.
It's a response to health and diet awareness. Indeed, Johnson says the poultry business hasn't had one declining year in the 30 he's been in it. In South Carolina, broilers are currently the fastest-growing industry in agriculture, says Pavlasek, the USDA statistician. He predicts that if tobacco sales stay the same, broilers could pass that industry in total cash receipts. Aiken and Sumter counties are second and third, respectively.