Aq 4 (8-08) Catfish Feed Deliveries National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released August 21, 2008, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Catfish Feed Deliveries" call Charles Butler at 601-965-4575, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. July 2008 Catfish Feed Deliveries Down 9 Percent from Last Year Total catfish feed delivered in the United States during July 2008 was 127,545 tons, down 9 percent from July 2007, but up 4 percent from the previous month. Foodsize catfish feed delivered totaled 124,467 tons, down 7 percent from the corresponding month a year ago. Feed delivered for fingerlings and broodfish totaled 3,078 tons, down 56 percent from the corresponding month a year ago. July feed delivered to Mississippi catfish growers for foodsize fish totaled 65,177 tons, nearly the same as last year. Mississippi accounted for 52 percent of the total foodsize catfish feed delivered to U.S. farmers. The other major States with catfish feed deliveries for foodsize fish in July and their comparison to the previous year were Alabama with 34,535 tons, down 7 percent; Arkansas with 16,137 tons, down 22 percent; and Louisiana with 2,757 tons, down 25 percent from last year. Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Foodsize Fish, United States, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- Tons ------ Percent ------- Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 4,500 3,316 74 4,500 3,316 74 Feb : 6,058 5,182 86 10,558 8,498 80 Mar : 38,718 16,491 43 49,276 24,989 51 Apr : 40,998 38,143 93 90,274 63,132 70 May : 102,859 81,333 79 193,133 144,465 75 Jun 1/ : 127,246 120,833 95 320,379 265,298 83 Jul : 133,478 124,467 93 453,857 389,765 86 Aug : 135,806 589,663 Sep : 126,105 715,768 Oct : 73,196 788,964 Nov : 21,830 810,794 Dec : 7,209 818,003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised 2008 data only. Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Fingerlings and Broodfish, United States, 2007-2008 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ Tons ------ Percent ------ Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 280 293 105 280 293 105 Feb : 367 238 65 647 531 82 Mar : 2,126 482 23 2,773 1,013 37 Apr : 1,967 986 50 4,740 1,999 42 May : 4,686 1,392 30 9,426 3,391 36 Jun 2/ : 5,560 1,755 32 14,986 5,146 34 Jul : 6,937 3,078 44 21,923 8,224 38 Aug : 10,028 31,951 Sep : 5,118 37,069 Oct : 2,612 39,681 Nov : 544 40,225 Dec : 225 40,450 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ The sum of the published States may not equal the total to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 2/ Revised 2008 data only. Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Foodsize Fish, Alabama, 2007-2008 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month: By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ Tons ------ Percent ------- Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 2,023 1,617 80 2,023 1,617 80 Feb : 1,803 2,103 117 3,826 3,720 97 Mar : 9,324 5,224 56 13,150 8,944 68 Apr : 8,565 9,435 110 21,715 18,379 85 May : 23,384 19,235 82 45,099 37,614 83 Jun : 33,829 34,461 102 78,928 72,075 91 Jul : 36,960 34,535 93 115,888 106,610 92 Aug : 35,532 151,420 Sep : 29,747 181,167 Oct : 19,288 200,455 Nov : 6,628 207,083 Dec : 3,103 210,186 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Foodsize Fish, Arkansas, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ Tons ------ Percent ------ Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 199 160 80 199 160 80 Feb : 529 163 31 728 323 44 Mar : 6,656 1,302 20 7,384 1,625 22 Apr : 8,029 4,770 59 15,413 6,395 41 May : 21,303 12,094 57 36,716 18,489 50 Jun : 20,950 14,971 71 57,666 33,460 58 Jul : 20,636 16,137 78 78,302 49,597 63 Aug : 23,786 102,088 Sep : 21,371 123,459 Oct : 9,525 132,984 Nov : 2,076 135,060 Dec : 506 135,566 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Fingerlings and Broodfish, Arkansas, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----- Tons ----- Percent ------ Tons ----- Percent : Jan : 108 198 183 108 198 183 Feb : 114 126 111 222 324 146 Mar : 568 164 29 790 488 62 Apr : 355 326 92 1,145 814 71 May : 576 494 86 1,721 1,308 76 Jun : 663 461 70 2,384 1,769 74 Jul : 774 528 68 3,158 2,297 73 Aug : 1,427 4,585 Sep : 1,125 5,710 Oct : 677 6,387 Nov : 181 6,568 Dec : 98 6,666 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Foodsize Fish, Louisiana, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ Tons ----- Percent ------ Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 11 30 273 11 30 273 Feb : 410 104 25 421 134 32 Mar : 1,932 359 19 2,353 493 21 Apr : 1,690 1,532 91 4,043 2,025 50 May : 2,972 2,741 92 7,015 4,766 68 Jun : 3,544 1,983 56 10,559 6,749 64 Jul : 3,658 2,757 75 14,217 9,506 67 Aug : 4,447 18,664 Sep : 3,912 22,576 Oct : 2,890 25,466 Nov : 1,382 26,848 Dec : 133 26,981 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Fingerlings and Broodfish, Louisiana, 2007-2008 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month: By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --- Tons --- Percent --- Tons --- Percent : Jan : Feb : Mar : Apr : 3 3 May : 3 Jun : 2 5 Jul : 5 Aug : 5 Sep : 5 Oct : 5 Nov : 5 Dec : 5 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Foodsize Fish, Mississippi, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ Tons ------ Percent ------- Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 1,045 825 79 1,045 825 79 Feb : 2,146 1,462 68 3,191 2,287 72 Mar : 16,944 6,590 39 20,135 8,877 44 Apr : 19,217 18,222 95 39,352 27,099 69 May : 49,837 42,292 85 89,189 69,391 78 Jun 1/ : 62,580 63,735 102 151,769 133,126 88 Jul : 65,230 65,177 100 216,999 198,303 91 Aug : 65,099 282,098 Sep : 63,635 345,733 Oct : 36,018 381,751 Nov : 8,855 390,606 Dec : 1,645 392,251 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised 2008 data only. Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Fingerlings and Broodfish, Mississippi, 2007-2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Month: By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------ Tons ----- Percent ------ Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 66 41 62 66 41 62 Feb : 207 49 24 273 90 33 Mar : 1,369 212 15 1,642 302 18 Apr : 1,348 488 36 2,990 790 26 May : 3,812 699 18 6,802 1,489 22 Jun 1/: 4,646 1,169 25 11,448 2,658 23 Jul : 5,764 2,425 42 17,212 5,083 30 Aug : 8,111 25,323 Sep : 3,422 28,745 Oct : 1,737 30,482 Nov : 280 30,762 Dec : 85 30,847 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Revised 2008 data only. Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Foodsize Fish, Other States East of the Mississippi River, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ Tons ----- Percent ------ Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 568 159 28 568 159 28 Feb : 308 262 85 876 421 48 Mar : 1,623 771 48 2,499 1,192 48 Apr : 1,573 1,361 87 4,072 2,553 63 May : 2,212 1,960 89 6,284 4,513 72 Jun : 2,575 1,739 68 8,859 6,252 71 Jul : 3,548 2,488 70 12,407 8,740 70 Aug : 2,670 15,077 Sep : 2,867 17,944 Oct : 2,223 20,167 Nov : 817 20,984 Dec : 567 21,551 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Foodsize Fish, Other States West of the Mississippi River, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ Tons ----- Percent ------ Tons ------ Percent : Jan : 654 525 80 654 525 80 Feb : 862 1,088 126 1,516 1,613 106 Mar : 2,239 2,245 100 3,755 3,858 103 Apr : 1,924 2,823 147 5,679 6,681 118 May : 3,151 3,011 96 8,830 9,692 110 Jun : 3,768 3,944 105 12,598 13,636 108 Jul : 3,446 3,373 98 16,044 17,009 106 Aug : 4,272 20,316 Sep : 4,573 24,889 Oct : 3,252 28,141 Nov : 2,072 30,213 Dec : 1,255 31,468 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catfish Feed: Tons Delivered For Fingerlings and Broodfish, Other States West of the Mississippi River, 2007-2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Month : By Month :Percent of : Cumulative :Percent of :-----------------------: Previous :-----------------------: Previous : 2007 : 2008 : Year : 2007 : 2008 : Year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- Tons ---- Percent ----- Tons ----- Percent : Jan : 43 11 26 43 11 26 Feb : 20 6 30 63 17 27 Mar : 114 70 61 177 87 49 Apr : 110 52 47 287 139 48 May : 126 63 50 413 202 49 Jun : 122 33 27 535 235 44 Jul : 129 60 47 664 295 44 Aug : 177 841 Sep : 301 1,142 Oct : 85 1,227 Nov : 30 1,257 Dec : 13 1,270 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reliability of Catfish Feed Deliveries Estimates Survey Procedures: All participating catfish feed mills are feed mills that produce and deliver catfish feed to bonafide catfish producers. Survey data for catfish feed are collected from feed mills by the USDA-NASS Mississippi Field Office, which is responsible for ensuring survey coverage is as complete as possible. Mills are contacted by mail, telephone, fax, or internet. Diligent effort is made to ensure that all operations are accounted for in the estimate. Estimation Procedures: The "Catfish Feed Deliveries" report refers strictly to catfish feed delivered to bonafide catfish producers and excludes catfish feed delivered to producers of other species. The totals include both bagged and bulk feed. Prior to summarization, questionnaires are compared to previous reports for comparability. Estimates are made for feed mills whose reports are not available in time to be included in the release. Those mills are identified by an asterisk on page 11 of this release. Estimates are based on the mill's previous reports and current conditions. Published totals are a straight summation of the individual reports and estimated data. If a mill uses a fiscal accounting system, proration is used to convert reported data to a calendar month basis. Two unusual features of this report are worthy of note: (1) cooperating feed mills are listed by name, and (2) it is impossible for the public to infer the amount of catfish feed produced in each State. Since many mills deliver feed to more than one State and to growers of other species, any inferences about overall production per State or per mill are not valid. Revision Policy: Revisions may be necessary in the following month's publication pending a review of late reports received from mills. Revisions to previous estimates are made to improve month-to-month relationships. Estimates for the previous month are subject to revision in all States and regions monthly totals. In February, all monthly estimates for the previous year are reviewed and subject to revisions. The review is primarily based on data that may have been received after the original estimates were published. Reliability: Estimates are based on data from cooperating catfish feed mills, and therefore have no sampling variability. However, estimates may be subject to errors such as omissions, duplication, mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing of 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. Terms and Definitions Used for Catfish Feed Deliveries Estimates Broodfish - Fish kept for egg production, including males. Broodfish produce the fertilized eggs that go to hatcheries. The most desirable size is 3 to 10 pounds or 4 to 6 years of age. Catfish Feed - For the purposes of this report catfish feed is defined as feed delivered to bonafide catfish producers. Thus, it is not the absolute total amount of feed produced or even sold by a mill. (Some catfish feed is sold to producers of other species of fish.) The definition includes medicated feed. Catfish feed is designed to float on the surface of the water. Catfish are fed this way from the moment they hatch. Therefore, they learn to go to the surface for feed. The result is a clean nutritious diet for American farm raised catfish. Catfish Feed for Foodsize Fish - Feed containing pellets larger than 1/8 of an inch. Catfish Feed for Fingerlings/Broodfish - Feed containing pellets 1/8 of an inch or smaller. Fingerlings - Fish weighing 2 to 60 pounds per 1,000 fish or 2 to 6 inches in length. Foodsize Fish - Fish being grown commercially for human consumption. Optimum sizes at harvest depend on the market but are generally no lower than 3/4 pound but near one pound. Data were compiled in cooperation with the following feed mills: Alabama Feed Mill LLC Land O Lakes Arkat Feeds Melick Aqua Feed LLC * Cargill Animal Nutrition Rangen Inc. Carolina Fish Feeds Silver Cup Delta Western Southfresh Feeds Fishbelt Feeds Inc. Star Milling Co. Flint River Mills Inc. Topwater Feed Mill * Estimated Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch......................................(202) 720-3570 Bruce Boess, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section...............(202) 720-4447 Charles Butler - Catfish Feed Deliveries................................(601) 965-4575 David Colwell - Cold Storage............................................(202) 720-8784 Fleming Gibson - Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised.... (202) 690-3237 Sharyn Lavender - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery, Honey.............(202) 720-3244 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs..............................................(202) 690-8632 Toby Paterson - Catfish Processing, Catfish Production, Trout Production, Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products, Mink...............(202) 720-0585 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: www.nass.usda.gov. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Starting with the NASS Home Page at www.nass.usda.gov, under the right navigation, Receive reports by Email, click on National or State. 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