The Friday Report Blog: August 26th, 2022

Sky High Chicken Prices May Finally Come to An End

Due to expensive chicken feed, an avian flu outbreak that killed 22 million chickens, and devastating weather in Texas, chicken prices have skyrocketed. So much so that restaurants across the nation stopped selling chicken menu items or raised their prices. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that poultry may be getting a reprieve from inflation. 

According to a recent USDA report, chicken production reached close to 4 million pounds in June 2022. This is on par with production numbers from June 2021, prior to chicken shortages and inflation. Total overall production for 2022 is expected to reach 45.3 billion pounds, which is slightly higher than last year. The average price of breast meat fell from $3.52 per pound in May to $2.82 per pound in July.

To read more, please click here

700,000 Square Foot Logistics Park to Be Constructed in Atlanta

The city of Atlanta will soon be home to a new warehouse campus, which is perfect timing according to developers. OA Development recently announced that it will soon break ground on a 700,000 square foot logistics space on a 90-acre site in Clayton County. Its construction reflects the need for industrial warehousing space throughout the nation. The park will be built on undeveloped land located close to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The site was previously pitched for a stadium for the Atlanta Falcons as well as for Amazon’s second headquarters.

Victory Landing Logistics Center is a project 21 years in the making. CEO of the company, Steve Berman, stated that his company began to acquire parcels of land in 2002 in preparation for its construction. The logistics park will be comprised of five buildings that specialize in last-mile distribution. All buildings are speculative spaces, with one measuring 150,000 square feet.  Groundbreaking for the facility is to commence September 15^th.

To read more, please click here

Pay For Truck-Drivers Grew 11%

The American Trucking Association announced that truck driver wages rose 11% in the past year. Due to the labor shortage and high freight demand, trucking companies increased salaries, bonuses, and benefits packages to hire more drivers. The average salary reached $69,700. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2021-2022 fiscal year saw trucking companies hire 73,000 workers.

The change in wages began as the demand to transport freight increased. Due in large part to the e-commerce boom, some businesses struggled to remain stocked while others struggled with manufacturing. This put a strain on the transportation industry, as there were not enough drivers to keep up with the demand.  This resulted in the need to increase wages to attract more drivers to keep supply chains running smoothly. Walmart, a company that operates an in-house trucking fleet, has raised its starting pay to up to $110,000 per year to retain and attract drivers. Some companies even offer referral bonuses as much as $1,150, dwarfing the previous average referral bonus of $150.

To read more, please click here