ATLANTA — On Nov. 11, the Desert Condor steamed into the port of Brunswick and unloaded 40,000 tons of Brazilian corn — the first time corn has ever been imported into Georgia.
The ship's arrival, followed a month later by the Genco Predator, underscores how last summer's severe Midwestern drought sent prices skyrocketing and hurt industries — North Georgia poultry, in particular — that use corn as a raw material. Chicken growers, producers, retailers and consumers suffered the higher prices.
"Pain is the right word," said Tom Hensley, president of Fieldale Farms in Baldwin, 75 miles north of Atlanta. Fieldale is spending an extra $50 million on chicken feed this year. "We now have more days between flocks which means, over the course of a year, we make less money. And the price of beef and chicken is at an all-time high."
Yet earlier predictions of massive losses in revenue and demand didn't materialize. Widespread layoffs or farm failures didn't happen. Hensley, like other so-called poultry integrators, cut production to drive up demand. Fieldale will make a little money this year.
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