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Nebraska's egg industry adds value to corn, rural communitiesNebraska One of the lesser known facts about agriculture production in Nebraska is that the state is the eighth-largest egg producer in the country--producing some 3 billion eggs each year from about 10 million laying hens. "The egg industry contributes about $100 million to the Nebraska economy each year," said Kelly Brunkhorst, ag program manager with the Nebraska Corn Board. "Part of that contribution is the consumption of more than 10 million bushels of corn and the growing usage of distillers grains." An interesting fact about Nebraska's egg industry is that none of the eggs are sold "in the shell" like the kind found in packages at the grocery store. Instead, they are processed by Nebraska companies--known as "egg breakers"--and turned into high-value pasteurized refrigerated liquid eggs and frozen, dried and specialty products. "These further processed products are then sold all over the world, in many cases to exacting specifications," said Bob Dickey, a Nebraska Corn Board director and corn grower from Laurel. "These types of egg products find their way into the foodservice sector, as well as into items like frozen breakfast foods and bakery goods found in the grocery store." The state's egg industry employs more than 1,000 people, with many located in rural communities. "In addition to good jobs, the egg industry adds value to Nebraska's ag products like corn, and then adds value again through further processing. It's a great economic multiplier," Dickey said. The egg industry is another great way of adding value to corn and distillers grains, Brunkhorst said, which provides an economic boost to a lot of other businesses. "With May being Egg Month, we hope people in Nebraska realize just how incredible the state's egg industry really is," he said. The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of 1/4 of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education. 6/2/08 Date: 6/13/08 Advertisement
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