USDA delays new poultry grower payment rules until end of 2027

The Agriculture Department’s Agricultural Marketing Service has officially delayed the effective date of a rule that would have changed how chicken dealers pay their contracted growers. The original rule, published in January 2025, aimed to limit how dealers could reduce payments based on performance rankings and required more transparency when asking growers to invest in new facilities.

Why it matters: This action keeps the current system in place, where chicken dealers have broader discretion over how they calculate grower pay based on performance rankings. For growers who wanted these new protections against payment reductions or required capital investments, this means another three years of waiting to see if the rules will ever actually be implemented. It also maintains the status quo for dealers, avoiding immediate compliance costs but extending regulatory uncertainty.

Who it affects

• Live poultry dealers and their contracted broiler growers

---

This action was published by the Agriculture Department, Agricultural Marketing Service in the Federal Register; readers should verify the full text of the rule before relying on this summary.

Agency: Agriculture Department, Agricultural Marketing Service
Source: Federal Register — read the official document