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Item 1A. Item I. Risk Factors and and branded eggs under license from EB at our facilities under EB guidelines. EB hens are fed a proprietary diet branded brand, which consists of conventional and cage-free eggs. Our and and branded eggs directly and through our joint ventures, Specialty Eggs, LLC and Southwest Specialty Eggs, LLC, under and and in our below and Part II. Item 8. Notes to the Such lawsuits are expensive to defend, divert 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
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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.
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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
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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®
Land O’ Lakes®
and offerings include nutritionally enhanced, cage-free, organic, pasture -raised and free-range eggs.
Land O’ Lakes®
eggs are produced by hens that are fed a whole-grain vegetarian diet and include brown, organic and cage-free eggs.
In 2023, EB was the third best-selling dairy brand in the U.S. The top two best-selling branded specialty egg SKUs in 2023 were
EB branded eggs and seven out of 10 best-selling SKUs are EB branded eggs. In 2023, our sales (including sales through affiliates)
represented approximately 50% of EB branded eggs and 45% of
Land O’ Lakes®
branded eggs nationwide.
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Our
Farmhouse Eggs
® brand eggs are produced at our facilities by hens that are provided with a vegetarian diet. Our offerings
of
Farmhouse Eggs
® include cage-free, organic and pasture raised eggs. We market organic, vegetarian and omega-3 eggs under
our
4-Grain®
Sunups®
Sunny Meadow®
brands are sold as
conventional eggs.
We also produce, market and distribute private label specialty and conventional shell eggs to several customers.
Egg Products
Egg products are shell eggs broken and sold in liquid, frozen, or dried form. We sell liquid and frozen egg products primarily to
the institutional, foodservice and food manufacturing sectors in the U.S. Our egg products are primarily sold through our wholly
owned subsidiaries American Egg Products, LLC located in Georgia and Texas Egg Products, LLC located in Texas. In fiscal
2024, egg product sales constituted approximately 3.8% of our revenue.
During March 2023, MeadowCreek Food, LLC (“Meadowcreek”), a majority-owned subsidiary, began operations with a focus
on being a leading provider of hard -cooked eggs. We serve as the preferred supplier of specialty and conventional eggs that
MeadowCreek needs to manufacture egg products. MeadowCreek’s marketing plan is designed to extend our reach in the
foodservice and retail marketplace and bring new opportunities in the restaurant, institutional and industrial food products arenas.
Summary of Conventional and Specialty Shell Egg and Egg Product Sales
The following table sets forth the contribution as a percentage of revenue and volumes of dozens sold of conventional and
specialty shell egg and egg product sales for the following fiscal years:
2024
2023
2022
Revenue
Volume
Revenue
Volume
Revenue
Volume
Conventional Eggs
Branded
4.3
%
4.9
%
6.6
%
6.4
%
6.5
%
7.1
%
Private-label
46.8
54.4
52.9
52.6
48.3
54.9
Other
4.4
5.8
5.7
6.3
5.0
7.0
Total Conventional Eggs
55.5
%
65.1
%
65.2
%
65.3
%
59.8
%
69.0
%
Specialty Eggs
Branded
20.3
%
17.4
%
18.0
%
20.4
%
24.2
20.0
%
Private-label
18.5
16.3
11.3
12.9
11.3
9.5
Other
1.0
1.2
1.1
1.4
1.0
1.5
Total Specialty Eggs
39.8
%
34.9
%
30.4
%
34.7
%
36.5
%
31.0
%
Egg Products
3.8
%
3.9
%
3.4
%
Marketing and Distribution
In fiscal 2024, we sold our shell eggs and egg products in 39 states through the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western, mid-
Atlantic and northeastern regions of the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico through our extensive distribution network to a diverse group
of customers, including national and regional grocery store chains, club stores, companies servicing independent supermarkets in
the U.S., foodservice distributors and egg product consumers. Some of our sales are completed through co-pack agreements – a
common practice in the industry whereby production and processing of certain products are outsourced to another producer.
The majority of eggs sold are based on the daily or short-term needs of our customers. Most sales to established accounts are on
payment terms ranging from seven to 30 days. Although we have established long-term relationships with many of our customers,
most of them are free to acquire shell eggs from other sources.
The shell eggs we sell are either delivered to our customers’ warehouse or retail stores, by our own fleet or contracted refrigerated
delivery trucks, or are picked up by our customers at our processing facilities.
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We are a member of the Eggland’s Best, Inc. cooperative and produce, market, distribute and sell
Egg-Land’s Best®
Land
O’ Lakes®
exclusive license agreements in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and in portions of
Arkansas, California, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Carolina. We also have an exclusive license in New York
City in addition to exclusivity in select New York metropolitan areas, including areas within New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As
discussed above under “Branded Eggs,” we also sell our own
Farmhouse Eggs
® and
4-Grain
® branded eggs.
In 2022, we joined as a member during the formation of ProEgg, Inc. (“ProEgg”), a new egg farmer cooperative in the western
United States. During 2024, after careful review and full analysis we decided to withdraw our membership in ProEgg. The
withdrawal from ProEgg did not affect any of our existing customer relationships.
Customers
Our top three customers accounted for an aggregate of 49.0%, 50.1% and 45.9% of net sales dollars for fiscal 2024, 2023, and
2022, respectively. Our largest customer, Walmart Inc. (including Sam's Club), accounted for 34.0%, 34.2% and 29.5% of net
sales dollars for fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
For shell egg sales in fiscal 2024 , approximately 89% of our revenue related to sales to retail customers and 11% to sales to
foodservice providers. Retail customers include primarily national and regional grocery store chains, club stores, and companies
servicing independent supermarkets in the U.S. Foodservice customers include primarily companies that sell food products and
related items to restaurants, healthcare and education facilities and hotels.
Competition
The production, processing, and distribution of shell eggs is an intensely competitive business, which has traditionally attracted
large numbers of producers in the U.S. Shell egg competition is generally based on price, service and product quality. The shell
egg production industry remains highly fragmented. According to
Egg Industry Magazine
, the ten largest producers owned
approximately 54% and 53% of industry table egg layer hens at calendar year-end 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Seasonality
Retail sales of shell eggs historically have been highest during the fall and winter months and lowest during the summer months.
Prices for shell eggs fluctuate in response to seasonal demand factors and a natural increase in egg production during the spring
and early summer. Historically, shell egg prices tend to increase with the start of the school year and tend to be highest prior to
holiday periods, particularly Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Consequently, and all other things being equal, we would
expect to experience lower selling prices, sales volumes and net income (and may incur net losses) in our first and fourth fiscal
quarters ending in August/September and May/June, respectively. Accordingly, we generally expect our need for working capital
to be highest during those quarters.
Growth Strategy
Our growth strategy is centered on growth through strategic acquisitions, organic growth, and expansion of our value-added
products business. We believe that we can continue to expand our market reach through strategic acquisitions and achieve
favorable returns through our proven operating model emphasizing synergies and efficient operations. Organic growth is
grounded in our culture of operational excellence to optimize everything we can control. We are committed to investing in our
existing operations to increase sales, profitability and customer service. We have continued to increase our production of cage-
free shell eggs and other higher value specialty eggs such as pasture-raised, free-range and organic shell eggs. We believe there
is long-term growth potential in value-added products such as hard-cooked eggs, which will enable us to leverage our existing
distribution channels, expand our reach in foodservice and retail marketplaces and bring new opportunities in the restaurant,
institutional and industrial food products arenas.
Trademarks and License Agreements
We own the trademarks
Farmhouse Eggs®
,
Sunups®
,
Sunny Meadow®
4Grain®
. We produce and market
Egg-Land's Best
®
and
Land O’ Lakes
® branded eggs under license agreements with EB. We believe these trademarks and license agreements are
important to our business.
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Government Regulation
Our facilities and operations are subject to regulation by various federal, state, and local agencies, including, but not limited to,
the FDA, USDA, Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA ”), Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") and
corresponding state agencies. The applicable regulations relate to grading, quality control, labeling, sanitary control and reuse or
disposal of waste. Our shell egg facilities are subject to periodic USDA, FDA, EPA and OSHA inspections. Our feed production
facilities are subject to FDA, EPA and OSHA regulation and inspections. We maintain inspection programs and in certain cases
utilize independent third-party certification bodies to monitor compliance with regulations, our own standards and customer
specifications. It is possible that we will be required to incur significant costs for compliance with such statutes and regulations.
In the future, additional rules could be proposed that, if adopted, could increase our costs.
A number of states have passed legislation or regulations mandating minimum space or cage-free requirements for egg production
or have mandated the sale of only cage-free eggs and egg products in their states. For further information refer to the heading
“Specialty Eggs” within this section.
Environmental Regulation
Our operations and facilities are subject to various federal, state, and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations
governing, among other things, the generation, storage, handling, use, transportation, disposal, and remediation of hazardous
materials. Under these laws and regulations, we must obtain permits from governmental authorities, including, but not limited to,
wastewater discharge permits. We have made, and will continue to make, capital and other expenditures relating to compliance
with existing environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and permits. We are not currently aware of any material
capital expenditures necessary to comply with such laws and regulations; however, as environmental, health and safety laws and
regulations are becoming increasingly more stringent, including those relating to animal wastes and wastewater discharges, it is
possible that we will have to incur significant costs for compliance with such laws and regulations in the future.
Human Capital Resources
As of June 1, 2024, we had 3,067 employees, of whom 2,370 worked in egg production, processing, and marketing, 204 worked
in feed mill operations and 493, including our executive officers, were administrative employees. Approximately 4.5% of our
personnel are part-time, and we utilize temporary employment agencies and independent contractors to augment our
staffing needs when necessary. For fiscal 2024, we had 1,962 average monthly contingent workers. As of June 1, 2024, none of
our employees were covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relations with employees to be good.
Culture and Values
We are proud to be contributing corporate citizens where we live and work and to help create healthy, prosperous
communities. Our colleagues help us continue to enhance our community contributions, which are driven by
our longstanding culture that strives to promote an environment that upholds integrity and respect and provides opportunities for
each colleague to realize full potential. These commitments are encapsulated in the
Cal-Maine Foods Code of Ethics and Business
Conduct
Human Rights Statement
.
Health and Safety
Our top priority is the health and safety of our employees, who continue to produce high-quality, affordable egg choices for our
customers and contribute to a stable food supply. Our enterprise safety committee is comprised of two corporate safety managers,
nine area compliance managers (three specifically for worker health and safety), and 55 local site compliance managers, feed mill
managers and general managers. The committee that oversees health and safety regularly reviews our written policies and
changes to OSHA regulation standards and shares information as it relates to outcomes from incidents in order to improve future
performance and our health and safety practices. The committee’s goals include working to help ensure that our engagements
with our consumers, customers, and regulators evidence our strong commitment to our workers’ health and safety.
Our commitment to our colleagues’ health includes a strong commitment to on-site worker safety, including a focus on accident
prevention and life safety. Our Safety and Health Program is designed to promote best practices that help prevent and minimize
workplace accidents and illnesses. The scope of our Safety and Health Program applies to all enterprise colleagues. Additionally,
to help protect the health and well-being of our colleagues and people in our value chain, we require that any contractors or
vendors acknowledge and agree to comply with the guidelines governed by our Safety and Health Program. At each of our
locations, our general managers are expected to uphold and implement our Safety and Health Program in alignment with OSHA
requirements. We believe that this program, which is reviewed annually by our senior management team, contributes to strong
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safety outcomes. As part of our Safety and Health Program, we conduct multi-lingual training that covers topics such as slip-and-
fall avoidance, respiratory protection, prevention of hazardous communication of chemicals, the proper use of personal protective
equipment, hearing conservation, emergency response, lockout and tagout of equipment and forklift safety, among others. We
have also installed dry hydrogen peroxide biodefense systems in our processing facilities to help protect our colleagues’
respiratory health. To help drive our focus on colleague safety, we developed safety committees at each of our sites with employee
representation from each department.
We review the success of our safety programs on a monthly basis to monitor their effectiveness and the development of any
trends that need to be addressed. During fiscal year 2024 our recordable incident rates decreased by 20% compared to fiscal 2023.
People
Our strength as a company comes from our employees at all levels and we have a long-established culture that values each
individual’s contributions and encourages productivity and growth. This culture is driven by our board and executive
management team. Our board is comprised of seven members, four of whom are independent, two of whom are women, one of
whom is of a racial or ethnic minority. As of June 1, 2024, our total workforce was comprised of 31% women and 56% individuals
who identify as racial or ethnic minorities. Our Policy against Harassment, Discrimination, Unlawful or Unethical Conduct and
Retaliation; Reporting Procedure affirms our commitment to supporting our employees regardless of race, color, religion, sex,
national origin or any other basis protected by applicable law.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits any violation of applicable federal, state, or local law regarding
employment. Discrimination on any basis protected by applicable law is prohibited. We maintain strong protocols to help our
colleagues perform their jobs free from harassment and discrimination. We are committed to offering our colleagues opportunities
commensurate with our operational needs and their experiences, goals and contributions.
Recruitment, Development and Retention
We believe in compensating our colleagues with fair and competitive wages, in addition to offering
competitive benefits. Approximately 76% of our employees are paid at hourly rates, which are all paid at rates above the federal
minimum wage requirement. We offer our full-time eligible employees a range of benefits, including company-paid life
insurance. The Company provides a comprehensive self-insured health plan and pays approximately 82% of the costs of the plan
for participating employees and their families as of December 31, 2023. Recent benchmarking of our health plan
indicates comparable benefits, at lower employee contributions, when compared to an applicable Agriculture and
Food Manufacturing sector grouping, as well as peer group data. In addition, we offer employees the opportunity to purchase an
extensive range of other group plan benefits, such as dental, vision, accident, critical illness, disability and voluntary life. After
one year of employment, full-time employees who meet eligibility requirements may elect to participate in our
KSOP retirement plan, which offers a range of investment alternatives and includes many positive features, such as
automatic enrollment with scheduled automatic contribution increases and loan provisions. Regardless of the
employees’ elections to contribute to the KSOP, the Company contributes shares of Company stock or cash equivalent to 3%
of participants’ eligible compensation for each pay period that hours are worked.
We
provide extensive training and development related to safety, regulatory compliance, and task training.
We
invest in
developing our future leaders through our Management Intern, Management Trainee and informal mentoring programs.
Sustainability
We understand that climate, and the potential consequences of climate change, freshwater availability and preservation of global
biodiversity, in addition to responsible management of our flocks, are vital to the production of high-quality eggs and egg products
and to the success of our Company. We have engaged in agricultural production for more than 60 years. Our agricultural practices
continue to evolve as we continue to strive to meet the need for nutritious, affordable foods to feed a growing population even as
we exercise responsible natural resource stewardship and conservation. We published our most recent sustainability report for
our fiscal 2023 in July 2024, which is available on our website. Information contained on our website is not a part of this report
on Form 10-K.
Our Corporate Information
We maintain a website at www.calmainefoods.com where general information about our business and corporate governance
matters is available. The information contained in our website is not a part of this report. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and all amendments to those reports filed or
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furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available, free of charge, through our website as soon as
reasonably practicable after we file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a website at
www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file
electronically with the SEC. Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is a Delaware corporation, incorporated in 1969.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our business and results of operations are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our
control. The following is a description of the known factors that may materially affect our business, financial condition or results
of operations. They should be considered carefully, in addition to the information set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K, including under Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations, in making any investment decisions with respect to our securities. Additional risks or uncertainties that are not
currently known to us, or that we are aware of but currently deem to be immaterial or that could apply to any company could
also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
INDUSTRY RISK FACTORS
Market prices of wholesale shell eggs are volatile, and decreases in these prices can adversely impact our revenues and
profits.
Our operating results are significantly affected by wholesale shell egg market prices, which fluctuate widely and are outside our
control. As a result, our prior performance should not be presumed to be an accurate indication of future performance. Under
certain circumstances, small increases in production, or small decreases in demand, within the industry might have a large adverse
effect on shell egg prices. Low shell egg prices adversely affect our revenues and profits.
Market prices for wholesale shell eggs have been volatile and cyclical. Shell egg prices have risen in the past during periods of
high demand such as the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and periods when high protein diets are popular. Shell egg
prices have also risen during periods of constrained supply, such as the latest highly pathogenic avian influenza (“HPAI”)
outbreak that was first detected in domestic commercial flocks in February 2022. During times when prices are high, the egg
industry has typically geared up to produce more eggs, primarily by increasing the number of layers, which historically has
ultimately resulted in an oversupply of eggs, leading to a period of lower prices.
As discussed above in
, seasonal fluctuations impact shell egg prices. Therefore, comparisons
of our sales and operating results between different quarters within a single fiscal year are not necessarily meaningful
comparisons.
A decline in consumer demand for shell eggs can negatively impact our business.
We believe high -protein diet trends, industry advertising campaigns, the improved nutritional reputation of eggs and an increase
in at-home consumption of eggs during the COVID-19 pandemic, have all contributed at one time or another to increased shell
egg demand. However, it is possible that the demand for shell eggs will decline in the future. Adverse publicity relating to health
or safety concerns and changes in the perception of the nutritional value of shell eggs, changes in consumer views regarding
consumption of animal-based products, as well as movement away from high protein diets, could adversely affect demand for
shell eggs, which could have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations and financial condition.
Feed costs are volatile and increases in these costs can adversely impact our results of operations.
Feed costs are the largest element of our shell egg (farm) production cost, ranging from 55% to 63% of total farm production cost
in the last five fiscal years.
Although feed ingredients, primarily corn and soybean meal, are available from a number of sources, we do not have control over
the prices of the ingredients we purchase, which are affected by weather, various global and U.S. supply and demand factors,
transportation and storage costs, speculators, and agricultural, energy and trade policies in the U.S. and internationally. For
example, while feed costs declined during fiscal 2024, we saw higher prices for corn and soybean meal in fiscal 2022 and 2023
as a result of weather-related shortfalls in production and yields, ongoing supply chain disruptions and the Russia-Ukraine War
and its impact on the export markets. Our costs for corn and soybean meal are also affected by local basis prices.
Increases in feed costs unaccompanied by increases in the selling price of eggs can have a material adverse effect on the results
of our operations and cash flow. Alternatively, low feed costs can encourage egg industry overproduction, possibly resulting in
lower egg prices and lower revenue.
14
Agricultural risks, including outbreaks of avian diseases such as HPAI, have harmed and in the future could harm our
business.
Our shell egg production activities are subject to a variety of agricultural risks. Unusual or extreme weather conditions, disease
and pests can materially and adversely affect the quality and quantity of shell eggs we produce and distribute. Outbreaks of avian
influenza among poultry occur periodically worldwide and have occurred sporadically in the U.S. Since the HPAI outbreaks in
2015, there were no reported significant outbreaks of HPAI in the commercial table egg layer flocks in the U.S. until the February
– December 2022 time period and then again beginning in November 2023. During the third and fourth quarters of our fiscal
2024, we experienced HPAI outbreaks within our facilities located in Kansas and Texas, resulting in total depopulation of 3.1
million laying hens and 577,000 pullets. Both locations have been cleared by the USDA to resume operations and repopulation
is expected to be completed before calendar year end. As of July 5, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(“CDC”) reported outbreaks in 138 dairy herds in 12 states and five cases in the U.S. in persons who were exposed to infected
cows or poultry. The CDC has not reported any case of human-to-human transmission. The CDC considers that the overall risk
to the general U.S. public posed by the virus remains low; however, as a precautionary measure, the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services has awarded funding to Moderna to develop a human vaccine against avian influenza. For additional
information, refer to
We maintain controls and procedures designed to reduce the risk of exposing our flocks and employees to harmful diseases;
however, despite these efforts, outbreaks of avian diseases can and do still occur and have adversely impacted, and may in the
future adversely impact, the health of our flocks and could in the future adversely impact the health of our employees. Continued
or intensified spread of HPAI could have a material adverse impact on our financial results by increasing government restrictions
on the sale and distribution of our products and requiring us to euthanize the affected layers. Negative publicity from outbreaks
within our industry can negatively impact customer perception. If a substantial portion of our layers or production facilities are
affected by any of these factors in any given quarter or year, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be
materially and adversely affected.
Shell eggs and shell egg products are susceptible to microbial contamination, and we may be required to, or we may
voluntarily, recall contaminated products.
Shell eggs and shell egg products are vulnerable to contamination by pathogens such as Salmonella. The Company maintains
policies and procedures designed to comply with the complex rules and regulations governing egg production, such as The Final
Egg Rule issued by the FDA “Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and
Transportation,” and the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act. Shipment of contaminated products, even if inadvertent, could
result in a violation of law and lead to increased risk of exposure to product liability claims, product recalls and scrutiny by federal
and state regulatory agencies. We have little, if any, control over proper handling once the product has been shipped or
delivered. In addition, products purchased from other producers could contain contaminants that might be inadvertently
redistributed by us. As such, we might decide or be required to recall a product if we, our customers or regulators believe it poses
a potential health risk. Any product recall could result in a loss of consumer confidence in our products, adversely affect our
reputation with existing and potential customers and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and
financial condition. We currently maintain insurance with respect to certain of these risks, including product liability insurance,
business interruption insurance, product recall insurance and general liability insurance, but in many cases such insurance is
expensive, difficult to obtain and no assurance can be given that such insurance can be maintained in the future on acceptable
terms, or in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses due to any such events, or at all.
Our profitability may be adversely impacted by increases in other input costs such as packaging materials and delivery
expenses, including as a result of inflation.
In addition to feed ingredient costs, other significant input costs include costs of packaging materials and delivery expenses. Our
costs of packing materials increased during the past three fiscal years due to inflation and higher labor costs, and during 2022
also as a result of supply chain constraints initially caused by the pandemic, and these costs may continue to increase. We also
experienced increases in delivery expenses during fiscal 2023 and 2022 due to increases in fuel and labor costs for both our fleet
and contract trucking, and these costs may continue to increase. Increases in these costs are largely outside of our control and
have an adverse effect on our profitability and cash flow.
15
BUSINESS AND OPERATIONAL RISK FACTORS
Our acquisition growth strategy subjects us to various risks.
As discussed in
, we plan to continue to pursue a growth strategy that includes, in part,
selective acquisitions of other businesses engaged in the production and sale of shell eggs, with a priority on those that will
facilitate our ability to expand our cage-free shell egg production capabilities in key locations and markets. We may over-estimate
or under-estimate the demand for cage-free eggs, which could cause our acquisition strategy to be less-than-optimal for our future
growth and profitability. The number of existing businesses with cage-free capacity that we may be able to purchase is limited,
as most production of shell eggs by other companies in our markets currently does not meet customer demands or legal
requirements to be designated as cage-free. Conversely, if we acquire cage-free production capacity, which is more expensive to
purchase and operate, and customer demands or legal requirements for cage-free eggs were to change, the resulting lack of
demand for cage-free eggs may result in higher costs and lower profitability .
Acquisitions require capital resources and can divert management’s attention from our existing business. Acquisitions also entail
an inherent risk that we could become subject to contingent or other liabilities, including liabilities arising from events or conduct
prior to our acquisition of a business that were unknown to us at the time of acquisition. We could incur significantly greater
expenditures in integrating an acquired business than we anticipated at the time of its purchase.
We cannot assure you that we:
●
will identify suitable acquisition candidates;
●
can consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms;
●
can successfully integrate an acquired business into our operations; or
●
can successfully manage the operations of an acquired business.
No assurance can be given that businesses we acquire in the future will contribute positively to our results of operations or
financial condition. In addition, federal antitrust laws require regulatory approval of acquisitions that exceed certain threshold
levels of significance, and we cannot guarantee that such approvals would be obtained.
The consideration we pay in connection with any acquisition affects our financial results. If we pay cash, we could be required
to use a portion of our available cash or credit facility to consummate the acquisition. To the extent we issue shares of our
Common Stock, existing stockholders may be diluted. In addition, acquisitions may result in additional debt. Our ability to access
any additional capital that may be needed for an acquisition may be adversely impacted by higher interest rates and economic
uncertainty.
Global or regional health crises including pandemics or epidemics could have an adverse impact on our business and
operations.
The effects of global or regional pandemics or epidemics can significantly impact our operations. Although demand for our
products could increase as a result of restrictions such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place orders, and
business and government shutdowns, which can prompt more consumers to eat at home, these restrictions could also significantly
increase our cost of doing business due to labor shortages, supply-chain disruptions, increased costs and decreased availability of
packaging supplies or feed, and increased medical and other costs. We experienced these impacts as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic, primarily during our fiscal years 2020 and 2021. The pandemic recovery also contributed to higher inflation and
interest rates, which persist and may continue to persist. The impacts of health crises are difficult to predict and depend on
numerous factors including the severity, length and geographic scope of the outbreak, resurgences of the disease and variants,
availability and acceptance of vaccines, and governmental, business and individuals’ responses. A resurgence of COVID-19
and/or variants, or any future major public health crisis, would disrupt our business and could have a material adverse effect on
our financial results.
Our largest customers have accounted for a significant portion of our net sales volume. Accordingly, our business may be
adversely affected by the loss of, or reduced purchases by, one or more of our large customers.
Our customers, such as supermarkets, warehouse clubs and food distributors, have continued to consolidate and consolidation is
expected to continue. These consolidations have produced larger customers and potential customers with increased buying power
that are more capable of operating with reduced inventories, opposing price increases, and demanding lower pricing, increased
promotional programs and specifically tailored products. Because of these trends, our volume growth could slow or we may need
to lower prices or increase promotional spending for our products, any of which could adversely affect our financial results.
16
Our top three customers accounted for an aggregate of 49.0%, 50.1% and 45.9% of net sales dollars for fiscal 2024, 2023, and
2022, respectively. Our largest customer, Walmart Inc. (including Sam's Club), accounted for 33.8%, 34.2% and 29.5% of net
sales dollars for fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Although we have established long-term relationships with most of our
customers who continue to purchase from us based on our ability to service their needs, they are generally free to acquire shell
eggs from other sources. If, for any reason, one or more of our large customers were to purchase significantly less of our shell
eggs in the future or terminate their purchases from us, and we were not able to sell our shell eggs to new customers at comparable
levels, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business is highly competitive.
The production and sale of fresh shell eggs, which accounted for 96.1% to 96.6% of our net sales in our last three fiscal years, is
intensely competitive. We compete with a large number of competitors that may prove to be more successful than we are in
producing, marketing and selling shell eggs. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to compete successfully with any
or all of these companies. Increased competition could result in price reductions, greater cyclicality, reduced margins and loss of
market share, which would negatively affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We are dependent on our management team, and the loss of any key member of this team may adversely affect the
implementation of our business plan in a timely manner.
Our success depends largely upon the continued service of our senior management team. The loss or interruption of service of
one or more of our key executive officers could adversely affect our ability to manage our operations effectively and/or pursue
our growth strategy. We have not entered into any employment or non-compete agreements with any of our executive officers.
Competition could cause us to lose talented employees, and unplanned turnover could deplete institutional knowledge and result
in increased costs due to increased competition for employees.
Our business is dependent on our information technology systems and software, and failure to protect against or
effectively respond to cyber-attacks, security breaches, or other incidents involving those systems, could adversely affect
day-to-day operations and decision making processes and have an adverse effect on our performance and reputation.
The efficient operation of our business depends on our information technology systems, which we rely on to effectively manage
our business data, communications, logistics, accounting, regulatory and other business processes. If we do not allocate and
effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain an appropriate technology environment, our business, reputation,
or financial results could be negatively impacted. In addition, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to damage
or interruption from circumstances beyond our control, including systems failures, natural disasters, terrorist attacks,
viruses, ransomware, security breaches or cyber incidents. Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and are increasing in
the number of attempts and frequency by groups and individuals with a wide range of motives. We have experienced and expect
to continue to experience attempted cyber-attacks of our information technology systems or networks.
We regularly engage with third-party service providers as part of our operations to provide a high level of service to our customers.
We have implemented certain practices and policies to minimize the potential risks associated with the exchange of information
with contracted vendors. Despite these practices and policies, we cannot guarantee that information technology systems of our
third-party service providers will prevent and detect all cybersecurity breaches and incidents. Although we require third-party
service providers to notify us upon a potential breach or incident, there is a potential risk that our business, reputation, or financial
results could be negatively impacted by cybersecurity incidents at their businesses .
Additionally, future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional cybersecurity
risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated systems
and technologies. Furthermore, we may discover security issues that were not found during due diligence of such acquired or
integrated businesses, and it may be difficult to integrate businesses into our information technology environment and security
program.
Our information technology systems also subject us to numerous data privacy obligations. We may at times fail (or be perceived
to have failed) in our efforts to comply with our data privacy obligations. If we or the third parties on which we rely fail, or are
perceived to have failed, to address or comply with applicable data privacy obligations, we could face significant consequences,
including but not limited to government enforcement actions and litigation. A security breach of sensitive information could result
in damage to our reputation and our relations with our customers or employees. Any such damage or interruption could have a
material adverse effect on our business.
17
Technology and related business and regulatory requirements continue to change rapidly. Failure to update or replace legacy
systems to address these changes could result in increased costs, including remediation costs, system downtime, third party
litigation, regulatory actions or cyber security vulnerabilities which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Labor shortages or increases in labor costs could adversely impact our business and results of operations.
Our success is dependent upon recruiting, motivating, and retaining staff to operate our farms. Approximately 76% of our
employees are paid at hourly rates, often in entry-level positions. While all our employees are paid at rates above the federal
minimum wage requirements, any significant increase in local, state or federal minimum wage requirements could increase our
labor costs. In addition, any regulatory changes requiring us to provide additional employee benefits or mandating increases in
other employee-related costs, such as unemployment insurance or workers compensation, would increase our costs. A shortage
in the labor pool, which may be caused by competition from other employers, the remote locations of many of our farms,
decreased labor participation rates or changes in government-provided support or immigration laws, particularly in times of lower
unemployment, could adversely affect our business and results of operations. A shortage of labor available to us could cause our
farms to operate with reduced staff, which could negatively impact our production capacity and efficiencies. In fiscal 2022, our
labor costs increased primarily due to the pandemic and its effects, which caused us to increase wages in response to labor
shortages. In fiscal 2023 and 2024, labor wages continued to rise due to inflation and low unemployment. Accordingly, any
significant labor shortages or increases in our labor costs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We are controlled by the family of our late founder, Fred R. Adams, Jr., and Adolphus B. Baker, Chairman of our Board
of Directors, controls the vote of 100% of our outstanding Class A Common Stock.
Fred R. Adams, Jr., our Founder and Chairman Emeritus died on March 29, 2020. A limited liability company (the “Daughters’
LLC”), owned by Mr. Adams’ son-in-law, Adolphus B. Baker, Chairman of our board of directors, Mr. Baker’s spouse and her
three sisters (Mr. Adams’ four daughters) (collectively, the “Family”), owns 100% of our outstanding Class A Common Stock
(which has 10 votes per share), controlling approximately 52.0% of our total voting power. As sole managing member of the
Daughters’ LLC, Mr. Baker controls the vote of 100% of our outstanding Class A Common Stock, except that certain
extraordinary matters requiring the vote of the Company’s stockholders such as a merger or amendment of the Company’s Second
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation require joint approval of Mr. Baker and members of the Daughters’ LLC
holding a majority of its voting interests. Family members also have additional voting power due to beneficial ownership of our
Common Stock (which has one vote per share), directly or indirectly through the Daughter’s LLC and other entities, resulting in
family voting control of approximately 53.8% of our total voting power.
We understand that the Family intends to retain ownership of a sufficient amount of our Common Stock and our Class A Common
Stock to assure continued ownership of more than 50% of the voting power of our outstanding shares of capital stock. As a result
of this ownership, the Family has the ability to exert substantial influence over matters requiring action by our stockholders,
including amendments to our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, the election and removal of directors, and any merger,
consolidation, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other corporate transactions. Delaware law provides that the
holders of a majority of the voting power of shares entitled to vote must approve certain fundamental corporate transactions such
as a merger, consolidation and sale of all or substantially all of a corporation’s assets; accordingly, such a transaction involving
us and requiring stockholder approval cannot be effected without the approval of the Family. Such ownership will make an
unsolicited acquisition of our Company more difficult and discourage certain types of transactions involving a change of control
of our Company, including transactions in which the holders of our Common Stock might otherwise receive a premium for their
shares over then current market prices. The Family’s controlling ownership of our capital stock may adversely affect the market
price of our Common Stock.
For additional information, refer to Exhibit 4.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, “Description of Registrant’s Securities
Registered Under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.”
The price of our Common Stock may be affected by the availability of shares for sale in the market, and you may
experience significant dilution as a result of future issuances of our securities, which could materially and adversely affect
the market price of our Common Stock.
The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our Common Stock could adversely impact its price. The Daughters’
LLC holds approximately 1.1 million shares of Common Stock (the “Subject Shares”) that are subject to an Agreement Regarding
Common Stock (the “Agreement”) filed as an exhibit to this report. The Subject Shares remain subject to potential sale under the
Agreement. The Agreement generally provides that if a holder of Subject Shares intends to sell any of the Subject Shares, such
party must give the Company a right of first refusal to purchase all or any of such shares. The price payable by the Company to
purchase shares pursuant to the exercise of the right of first refusal will reflect a 6% discount to the then-current market price
based on the 20 business-day volume-weighted average price. If the Company does not exercise its right of first refusal and
purchase the shares offered, such party will, subject to the approval of a special committee of independent directors of the Board
18
of Directors, be permitted to sell the shares not purchased by the Company pursuant to a Company registration statement, Rule
144 under the Securities Act of 1933, or another manner of sale agreed to by the Company. Although pursuant to the Agreement
the Company will have a right of first refusal to purchase all or any of those shares, the Company may elect not to exercise its
rights of first refusal, and if so such shares would be eligible for sale pursuant to the registration rights in the Agreement or
pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933. Sales, or the availability for sale, of a large number of shares of our
Common Stock could result in a decline in the market price of our Common Stock.
In addition, our articles of incorporation authorize us to issue 120,000,000 shares of our Common Stock. As of June 1, 2024,
there were 44,238,766 shares of our Common Stock outstanding. Accordingly, a substantial number of shares of our Common
Stock are outstanding and are, or could become, available for sale in the market. In addition, we may be obligated to issue
additional shares of our Common Stock in connection with employee benefit plans (including equity incentive plans).
In the future, we may decide to raise capital through offerings of our Common Stock, additional securities convertible into or
exchangeable for Common Stock, or rights to acquire these securities or our Common Stock. We may also issue such securities
as consideration in an acquisition. The issuance of such securities could result in dilution of existing stockholders’ equity interests
in us. Issuances of substantial amounts of our Common Stock, or the perception that such issuances could occur, may adversely
affect prevailing market prices for our Common Stock, and we cannot predict the effect this dilution may have on the price of our
Common Stock.
LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISK FACTORS
Pressure from animal rights groups regarding the treatment of animals may subject us to additional costs to conform our
practices to comply with developing standards or subject us to marketing costs to defend challenges to our current
practices and protect our image with our customers. In particular, changes in customer preferences and state legislation
have accelerated an increase in demand for cage-free eggs, which increases uncertainty in our business and increases our
costs.
We and many of our customers face pressure from animal rights groups, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and
the Humane Society of the United States, to require companies that supply food products to operate their business in a manner
that treats animals in conformity with certain standards developed or approved by these groups. In general, we may incur
additional costs to conform our practices to address these standards or to defend our existing practices and protect our image with
our customers. The standards promoted by these groups change over time, but typically require minimum cage space for hens,
among other requirements, and some of these groups have led successful legislative efforts to ban any form of caged housing in
various states.
As discussed in
, ten states have passed minimum space and/or cage-free
requirements for hens, and other states are considering such requirements. In addition, 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. While we
anticipate that our retail and foodservice customers will continue to transition to selling cage-free eggs given publicly stated goals,
there is no assurance that this transition will take place or take place according to the timeline of current cage-free goals. For
example, customers may accelerate their transition to stocking cage-free eggs, which may challenge our ability to meet the cage-
free volume needs of those customers and result in a loss of shell egg sales. Similarly, customers who commit to stock greater
proportional quantities of cage-free eggs are under no obligation to continue to do so, which may result in an oversupply of cage-
free eggs and result in lower specialty egg prices, which could reduce the return on our capital investment in cage-free production.
Changing our infrastructure and operating procedures to conform to consumer preferences, customer demands and recent laws
has resulted and will continue to result in additional costs, including capital and operating cost increases. The USDA reported
that the estimated U.S. cage-free flock was 122.0 million hens as of May 31, 2024, which is approximately 39.9% of the total
U.S. table egg layer hen population. According to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, as of May 2024 approximately
220.1 million hens, or about 72% of the U.S. non-organic laying flock would have to be in cage-free production to meet projected
cage-free commitments from the retailers, foodservice providers and food manufacturers that have stated goals to transition to
cage-free eggs.
In response to our customers’ announced goals and increased legal requirements for cage-free eggs, we have increased capital
expenditures to increase our cage-free production capacity. We are also enhancing our focus on cage-free capacity when
considering acquisition opportunities. Our customers typically do not commit to long-term purchases of specific quantities or
type of eggs with us, and as a result, we cannot predict with any certainty which types of eggs they will require us to supply in
future periods. The production of cage-free eggs is more costly than the production of conventional eggs, and these higher
production costs contribute to the prices of cage-free eggs, which historically have typically been higher than conventional egg
prices. Many consumers prefer to buy less expensive conventional shell eggs. These consumer preferences may in turn influence
19
our customers’ future needs for cage-free and conventional eggs. Due to these uncertainties, we may over-estimate future demand
for cage-free eggs, which could increase our costs unnecessarily, or we may under-estimate future demand for cage-free eggs,
which could harm us competitively. If our competitors obtain non-cancelable long-term contracts to provide cage-free eggs to
our existing or potential customers, then there may be decreased demand for our cage-free eggs due to these lost potential sales.
If we and our competitors increase cage-free egg production and there is no commensurate increase in demand for cage-free eggs,
this overproduction could lead to an oversupply of cage-free eggs, reducing the sales price for specialty eggs and our return on
capital investments in cage-free production.
Failure to comply with applicable governmental regulations, including environmental regulations, could harm our
operating results, financial condition, and reputation. Further, we may incur significant costs to comply with any such
regulations.
We are subject to federal, state and local regulations relating to grading, quality control, labeling, sanitary control, waste disposal,
and other areas of our business. As a fully-integrated shell egg producer, our shell egg facilities are subject to regulation and
inspection by the USDA, OSHA, EPA and FDA, as well as state and local health and agricultural agencies, among others. All of
our shell egg production and feed mill facilities are subject to FDA, EPA and OSHA regulation and inspections. In addition, rules
are often proposed that, if adopted as proposed, could increase our costs.
Our operations and facilities are subject to various federal, state and local environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations
governing, among other things, the generation, storage, handling, use, transportation, disposal, and remediation of hazardous
materials. Under these laws and regulations, we are required to obtain permits from governmental authorities, including, but not
limited to wastewater discharge permits and manure and litter land applications.
If we fail to comply with applicable laws or regulations, or fail to obtain necessary permits, we could be subject to significant
fines and penalties or other sanctions, our reputation could be harmed, and our operating results and financial condition could be
materially adversely affected. In addition, because these laws and regulations are becoming increasingly more stringent, it is
possible that we will be required to incur significant costs for compliance with such laws and regulations in the future.
Climate change and legal or regulatory responses may have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
Extreme weather events, such as derechos, wildfires, drought, tornadoes, hurricanes, storms, floods or other natural disasters
could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. In fact, derechos, fires, floods, tornadoes and
hurricanes have affected our facilities or the facilities of other egg producers in the past. Increased global temperatures and more
frequent occurrences of extreme weather events, which may be exacerbated by climate change, may cause crop and livestock
areas to become unsuitable, including due to water scarcity or high or unpredictable temperatures, which may result in much
greater stress on food systems and more pronounced food insecurity globally. Lower global crop production, including corn and
soybean meal, which are the primary feed ingredients that support the health of our animals, may result in significantly higher
prices for these commodity inputs, impact our ability to source the commodities we use to feed our flocks, and negatively impact
our ability to maintain or grow our operations. Climate change may increasingly expose workers and animals to high heat and
humidity stressors that adversely impact poultry production and our costs. Increased greenhouse gas emissions may also
negatively impact air quality, soil quality and water quality, which may hamper our ability to support our operations, particularly
in higher water- and soil-stressed regions.
Increasing frequency of severe weather events, whether tied to climate change or any other cause, may negatively impact our
ability to raise poultry and produce eggs profitably or to operate our transportation and logistics supply chains. Regulatory controls
and market pricing may continue to drive the costs of fossil -based fuels higher, which could negatively impact our ability to
source commodities necessary to operate our farms or plants and our current fleet of vehicles. These changes may cause us to
change, significantly, our day-to-day business operations and our strategy. Climate change and extreme weather events may also
impact demand for our products given evolution of consumer food preferences. Even if we take measures to position our business
in anticipation of such changes, future compliance with legal or regulatory requirements may require significant management
time, oversight and enterprise expense. We may also incur significant expense tied to regulatory fines if laws and regulations are
interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our business practices. We can make no assurances that our efforts
to prepare for these adverse events will be in line with future market and regulatory expectations and our access to capital to
support our business may also be adversely impacted.
Current and future litigation could expose us to significant liabilities and adversely affect our business reputation.
We and certain of our subsidiaries are involved in various legal proceedings. Litigation is inherently unpredictable, and although
we believe we have meaningful defenses in these matters, we may incur liabilities due to adverse judgments or enter into
settlements of claims that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. For
20
a discussion of our ongoing legal proceedings see
Consolidated Financial Statements,
management’s attention, and may result in significant adverse judgments or settlements. Legal proceedings may expose us to
negative publicity, which could adversely affect our business reputation and customer preference for our products and brands.
FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC RISK FACTORS
Weak or unstable economic conditions, including continued high inflation and interest rates, could negatively impact our
business.
Weak or unstable economic conditions, including continued high inflation and interest rates, may adversely affect our business
by:
●
Limiting our access to capital markets or increasing the cost of capital we may need to grow or operate our business;
●
Changing consumer spending and habits and demand for eggs, particularly higher-priced eggs;
●
Restricting the supply of energy sources or increasing our cost to procure energy; or
●
Reducing the availability of feed ingredients, packaging material, and other raw materials, or increasing the cost of these
items.
Deterioration of economic conditions could also negatively impact:
●
The financial condition of our suppliers, which may make it more difficult for them to supply raw materials;
●
The financial condition of our customers, which may decrease demand for eggs or increase our bad debt expense; or
●
The financial condition of our insurers, which could increase our cost to obtain insurance, and/or make it difficult for or
insurers to meet their obligations in the event we experience a loss due to an insured peril.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from May 2021 to May 2022, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban
Consumers (“CPI-U”) increased 8.5 percent, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending December 1981. The CPI-U
increased 4.1% and 3.3% from May 2022 to May 2023 and May 2023 to May 2024, respectively. Inflationary costs have increased
our input costs, and if we are unable to pass these costs through to the customer it could have an adverse effect on our business.
We hold significant cash balances in deposit accounts with deposits in excess of the amounts insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). In the event of a bank failure at an institution where we maintain deposits in excess of the FDIC-
insured amount, we may lose such excess deposits.
The loss of any registered trademark or other intellectual property could enable other companies to compete more
effectively with us.
We utilize intellectual property in our business. For example, we own the trademarks
Farmhouse Eggs®
,
4Grain®, Sunups®
,
and
Sunny Meadow®
. We produce and market
Egg-Land’s Best®
Land O’ Lakes
® under license agreements with EB. We
have invested a significant amount of money in establishing and promoting our trademarked brands. The loss or expiration of any
intellectual property could enable our competitors to compete more effectively with us by allowing them to make and sell products
substantially similar to those we offer. This could negatively impact our ability to produce and sell those products, thereby
adversely affecting our operations.
Impairment in the carrying value of goodwill or other assets could negatively affect our results of operations or net worth.
Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of business acquisitions over the fair value of the identifiable net assets
acquired. Goodwill is reviewed at least annually for impairment by assessing qualitative factors to determine whether the
existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit
is less than its carrying amount. As of June 1, 2024, we had $45.8 million of goodwill. While we believe the current carrying
value of this goodwill is not impaired, future goodwill impairment charges could adversely affect our results of operations in any
particular period and our net worth.
Events beyond our control such as extreme weather and natural disasters could negatively impact our business.
Fire, bioterrorism, pandemics, extreme weather or natural disasters, including droughts, floods, excessive cold or heat, water
rights restrictions, hurricanes or other storms, could impair the health or growth of our flocks, decrease production or availability
of feed ingredients, or interfere with our operations due to power outages, fuel shortages, discharges from overtopped or breached
21
wastewater treatment lagoons, damage to our production and processing facilities, labor shortages or disruption of transportation
channels, among other things. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Risk Management and Strategy
We understand the importance of cybersecurity and its role in the success of our Company. Our business operations depend on
the effective use of our information systems in order to properly serve our customers, manage our business and track and report
our financial results. Our technology operations consider risks from cybersecurity threats in the implementation and execution of
our business processes. We have considered and assessed the risks from cybersecurity threats as part of our overall risk assessment
process using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Cybersecurity Framework.
In order to identify, assess and manage material risks arising from cybersecurity threats, we maintain internal resources to monitor
and quickly respond to such threats. We perform vulnerability scans and penetration testing designed to test the effectiveness of
our security practices. We engage third-party service providers to assist in the evaluation of our internal controls over our
information systems through audit and consulting services to test the design and operational effectiveness of security controls.
We continually monitor our systems to detect and identify cybersecurity threats. Prior to contracting with third-party vendors, we
perform risk assessments of the vendors and require the vendors to manage cybersecurity risks to our business operations as well
as notify us of any potential or known cybersecurity risks. We also require our employees to complete training programs to
increase their awareness of and sensitivity to cybersecurity threats. These training programs include the identification of such
threats and the proper responses to a potential breach of cybersecurity that aligns with our adopted processes.
The Company has implemented a response process in the event of a cybersecurity incident through its crisis management plan.
The process includes the cooperation of the information technology team and our management team to properly detect and
respond to these incidents. These responses include determination of the potential impact and materiality of the incident, potential
disclosure and litigation matters, and mitigation of actual or potential damage to our systems or reputation arising from the
incident. An action plan is implemented to respond to any potential cybersecurity breach in order to continue to effectively serve
our customers and conduct our operations with as little interruption as practicable. The information technology team reviews the
response process on a regular basis to ensure that it is designed to be effective and to encompass current or new cybersecurity
threats.
As of July 23, 2024, we are not aware of any risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of prior cybersecurity incidents,
that have materially affected or that we believe are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company, including our business
strategy, results of operations or financial condition. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for further discussion about risks from
cybersecurity threats.
Governance
The Board is responsible for the oversight of management’s process for identifying and mitigating risks related to cybersecurity
threats. On a quarterly basis, the Director of Information Technology provides a report to the Audit Committee regarding ongoing
processes to improve and update our current cybersecurity protocols, new cybersecurity threats, results of internal assessments,
and any recent cybersecurity incidents. The Audit Committee will make the Board aware of any information it deems necessary
or appropriate in order for the Board to effectively oversee the Company’s cybersecurity risk management and strategy.
The Director of Information Technology and the team he manages are responsible for the operation and maintenance of our
information systems, including the assessment, identification and management of risks from cybersecurity threats. Together, the
Director of Information Technology and his team have over 150 years of experience in the information technology and security
environment. Our Chief Financial Officer, to whom the Director of Information Technology reports, has served as Chief Financial
Officer and a Board member since 2018 and has over 40 years of risk management experience.
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