Risk Factors Dashboard

Once a year, publicly traded companies issue a comprehensive report of their business, called a 10-K. A component mandated in the 10-K is the ‘Risk Factors’ section, where companies disclose any major potential risks that they may face. This dashboard highlights all major changes and additions in new 10K reports, allowing investors to quickly identify new potential risks and opportunities.

Risk Factors - CALM

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Item 1A. Item I. Risk Factors
and
Given
historical
consumption
trends,
we believe
that general
demand
for
eggs in
the U.S.
increases basically
in line
with the
overall
U.S.
population
growth;
however,
specific
events
can
impact
egg
supply
and
consumption
in
a
particular
period,
as
occurred with the 2015 HPAI outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic (particularly during
2020), and the most recent
HPAI outbreaks
starting in early 2022 and
again in late 2023. For fiscal
2024, shell egg household penetration
is approximately 97%. According
to the
USDA’s
Economic
Research Service,
estimated annual
per capita
consumption
in the
United
States between
2019
and
2023
varied,
ranging
from
279
to
292
eggs
which
is
directly
impacted
by
available
supply.
The
USDA
calculates
per
capita
consumption by dividing total shell egg disappearance in the U.S. by
the U.S. population.
The most significant
shift in demand
in recent years
has been among
specialty eggs, particularly
cage-free eggs.
For additional
information, see “Specialty Eggs.”
Prices for Shell Eggs
Wholesale shell egg sales prices
are a critical component
of revenue for the Company.
We sell the
majority of our conventional
shell eggs at prices
based on formulas
that take into
account, in varying
ways, independently quoted
regional wholesale market
prices for shell eggs or formulas
related to our costs of production,
which include the cost of corn
and soybean meal. We
do not
sell eggs directly to consumers or set the prices at which eggs are sold to consumers.
Wholesale shell
egg
prices are
volatile,
cyclical,
and impacted
by a
number of
factors,
including consumer
demand, seasonal
fluctuations,
the number
and productivity
of laying
hens in
the U.S.
and outbreaks
of agricultural
diseases such
as HPAI.
We
believe the majority of
conventional shell eggs sold in
the U.S. in the retail
and foodservice channels are
sold at prices that take
into
account,
in
varying
ways,
independently
quoted
wholesale
market
prices,
such
as
those
published
by
Urner
Barry
Publications,
Inc.
(“UB”)
or the
USDA
for
shell
eggs;
however,
grain-based
or variations
of
cost
plus arrangements
are
also
commonly utilized.
The weekly
average price for
the southeast region
for large white
conventional shell
eggs as quoted
by UB is
shown below for
the past three
fiscal years along with
the five-year average
price. The actual prices
that we realize on
any given transaction
will
calm2024060110Kp6i0
6
not necessarily equal quoted market
prices because of the individualized terms
that we negotiate with
individual customers which
are
influenced
by many
factors.
As further
discussed
in
, egg prices in fiscal 2022 through fiscal 2024 were significantly impacted by HPAI.
Wholesale prices for cage-free eggs are quoted by independent
sources such as UB and USDA.
There is no independently quoted
wholesale
market
price
for
other
specialty
eggs
such
as
nutritionally
enhanced,
organic,
pasture-raise
and
free-range
eggs.
Specialty eggs are typically sold at
prices and terms negotiated directly with
customers and in the case of cage-free
eggs, can be
sold at
prices that
take into
account independently
quoted markets.
Historically,
prices for
specialty eggs
have generally
been
higher due to
customer and consumer willingness
to pay more
for specialty eggs. We utilize several
different pricing mechanisms;
however, the majority of our specialty eggs are typically sold at prices
and terms negotiated directly with customers.
As a result,
specialty egg prices do not fluctuate as much as conventional pricing.
Depending on market conditions, input costs and individualized contract terms, the price we receive per dozen eggs in any given
transaction may be more than or less than our farm production and other costs per
dozen.
Feed Costs for Shell Egg Production
Feed is a primary cost component in
the production of shell eggs and
represented 56.0% of our fiscal 2024 farm
production costs.
We
routinely fill
our storage
bins during
harvest season
when prices
for feed
ingredients, primarily
corn and
to a
lesser extent
soybean meal,
are generally
lower.
To
ensure continued
availability of
feed ingredients,
we may
enter into
contracts for
future
purchases
of
corn
and
soybean meal,
and
as part
of these
contracts,
we
may
lock-in
the basis
portion
of our
grain
purchases
several months
in advance.
Basis is
the difference
between the
local cash
price for
grain and
the applicable
futures price.
The
difference can be
due to transportation
costs, storage costs,
supply and demand,
local conditions and
other factors. A
basis contract
is a common
transaction in the
grain market
that allows us
to lock-in a
basis level for
a specific delivery
period and
wait to set
the futures price at a later date. Furthermore, due to the more limited supply for organic ingredients, we may commit to purchase
organic
ingredients
in
advance
to
help
assure
supply.
Ordinarily,
we
do
not
enter
into
long-term
contracts
beyond
a
year
to
purchase corn and
soybean meal or
hedge against increases
in the prices
of corn and
soybean meal. As
the quality and
composition
of feed
is a
critical factor
in the
nutritional value
of shell
eggs and
health of
our chickens,
we formulate
and produce
the vast
majority of our own feed at our feed mills located near our production plants. Our annual feed requirements for fiscal
2024 were
1.9 million tons of
finished feed,
of which we
manufactured 1.8 million tons.
We currently have the
capacity to store
210 thousand
tons of corn and soybean meal, and we replenish these stores as needed
throughout the year.
calm2024060110Kp7i0
7
Our primary feed ingredients, corn
and soybean meal, are commodities that
are subject to volatile price changes due
to weather,
various supply
and demand
factors, transportation
and storage
costs, speculators,
agricultural, energy
and trade
policies in
the
U.S. and internationally, and global instability that could disrupt the supply chain. We purchase the vast majority of our corn and
soybean meal from U.S sources but may be forced to purchase internationally when U.S. supplies are not readily available. Feed
grains are currently
available from an
adequate number of
sources in the
U.S. As a
point of reference,
a multi-year comparison
of the average of daily closing prices
per Chicago Board of Trade for each quarter in our fiscal
years 2020-2024 are shown below
for corn and soybean meal:
Shell Egg Production
Our percentage of dozens produced to sold was 88.8%
of our total shell eggs sold in fiscal 2024.
We supplement
our production
through purchases of eggs from others
when needed. The quantity of eggs purchased will vary based on many factors
such as
our own production capabilities and current market conditions. In
fiscal 2024, 91.2% of our production came from company-
owned facilities, and 8.8% from contract producers. The majority
of our contract production is with family-owned farms for
organic, pasture-raised and free-range eggs. Under a typical arrangement
with a contract producer, we own the flock, furnish
all
feed and critical supplies, own the shell eggs produced and assume market risks. The
contract producers own and operate their
facilities and are paid a fee based on production with incentives for performance.
The commercial production
of shell eggs requires a source
of baby chicks for laying
flock replacement. We
supply the majority
of
our
chicks
from
our
breeder
farms
and
hatch
them
in our
hatcheries
in
a
computer-controlled
environment
and
obtain the
balance from commercial
sources. The chicks
are grown in
our own pullet
farms and are
placed into the
laying flock once
they
reach maturity.
After eggs are
produced, they are
cleaned, graded and
packaged. Substantially all
our farms have
modern “in-line” facilities
which
mechanically
gather,
clean,
grade
and
package
the
eggs
at
the
location
where
they
are
laid.
The
in-line
facilities
generate
significant efficiencies
and cost
savings compared
to the
cost of
eggs produced
from non-in-line
facilities, which
process eggs
that
have
been
laid
at
another
location
and
transported
to the
processing
facility.
The
in-line
facilities
also
produce
a
higher
percentage of USDA Grade A eggs, which sell at higher prices. Eggs
produced on farms owned by contractors are brought to our
8
processing plants to be graded
and packaged. We maintain a Safe Quality Food
(“SQF”) Management Program which is
overseen
by our
Food Safety
Department and
senior management
team. As
of June
1, 2024,
every Company-owned
processing plant
is
SQF certified. Because shell eggs are perishable, we do not maintain large
egg inventories. Our egg inventory averaged
six days
of
sales during
fiscal
2024. We
believe
our constant
focus
on production
efficiencies
and
automation
throughout
our vertical
integrated operations enable us to be a low-cost supplier in our markets.
We
are proud
to have
created and
upheld
what we
believe is
a leading
poultry
Animal Welfare
Program
(“AWP”).
We
have
aligned our AWP
with regulatory,
veterinary and our third-party certifying
bodies’ guidance to govern the welfare
of animals in
our direct care,
our contract farmers’
care. We
continually review our
program to monitor
and evolve standards
that guide how
we hatch chicks,
rear pullets and nurture
breeder and layer hens.
At each stage
of our animals’ lives,
we are dedicated to
providing
welfare
conditions
aligned
to
our
commitment
to
the
principles
of
the
internationally
recognized
Five
Freedoms
of
Animal
Welfare
.
We
do not
use artificial
hormones in
the production
of our
eggs. Hormone
use in
the poultry
and egg
production industry
has
been
effectively
banned
in
the U.S.
since
the
1950s.
We
have
an
extensive
written
protocol
that
allows
the
use
of
medically
important
antibiotics
only
when
animal
health
is
at
risk,
consistent
with
guidance
from
the
United
States
Food
and
Drug
Administration
(“FDA”)
and
the
Guidance
for
Judicious
Therapeutic
Use
of
Antimicrobials
in
Poultry,
developed
by
the
American Association of Avian Pathologists. When antibiotics are medically necessary, a licensed veterinary
doctor will approve
and
administer
approved
doses
for
a
restricted
period.
We
do
not
use
antibiotics
for
growth
promotion
or
performance
enhancement.
Specialty Eggs
We
are
one
of
the
largest
producers
and
marketers
of
value-added
specialty
shell
eggs
in
the
U.S.,
which
continues
to
be
a
significant and growing segment
of the market.
We classify cage-free, organic, brown, free-range, pasture-raised and
nutritionally
enhanced as specialty eggs for accounting and
reporting purposes. Specialty eggs are intended to
meet the demands of consumers
sensitive to environmental, health and/or animal welfare issues and
to comply with state requirements for cage-free eggs.
Ten
states
have
passed
legislation
or
regulations
mandating
minimum
space
or
cage-free
requirements
for
egg
production
or
mandated the sale of
only cage-free eggs and
egg products in
their states, with implementation
of these laws ranging
from January
2022 to January 2030. These states represent approximately 27% of the U.S. total population according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
California,
Massachusetts, Colorado, Oregon,
Washington,
and Nevada, which collectively
represent approximately 20% of
the
total estimated U.S. population have cage-free legislation in effect
currently.
A significant number of our customers have announced goals to either exclusively
offer cage-free eggs or significantly increase
the volume of
cage-free egg sales
in the future, subject
in most cases
to availability of supply, affordability and
consumer demand,
among other contingencies. Our customers typically do not commit to long-term purchases of specific quantities or types of eggs
with us, and as a result, it
is difficult to accurately predict customer requirements for cage-free eggs. We are focused on adjusting
our cage-free production capacity with
a goal of meeting the
future needs of our customers
in light of changing
state requirements
and our customer’s goals. As always, we strive to offer a product mix that aligns with current and
anticipated customer purchase
decisions. We are engaging with our customers to help them meet their announced goals and needs. We have invested significant
capital in recent years to acquire and construct cage-free facilities, and we expect our focus for future
expansion will continue to
include cage-free
facilities. Our
volume of
cage-free egg
sales has
continued to
increase and
account for
a larger
share of
our
product mix. Cage-free egg revenue represented approximately 29.5% of our total net shell egg
sales for fiscal year 2024. At the
same time, we understand the importance of our continued
ability to provide affordable conventional eggs in order to
provide our
customers with a variety of egg choices and to address hunger in our communities.
Branded Eggs
We are a member of the Eggland’s
Best, Inc. cooperative (“EB”) and produce, market, distribute and sell
Egg-Land’s
Best®
and
Land O’
Lakes®
branded eggs
under license
from EB
at our
facilities under
EB guidelines.
EB hens
are fed