Animal Specialties, NEC

Developments in this industry in the late years of the first decade of the twenty-first century included rising sales of exotic birds as well as the expansion of the market for reptiles and their prey, crickets. Informed consumers who saw the poor breeding conditions of exotic birds also began to demand better breeding practices. The growth of the exotic bird market spurred growth in the entire pet industry. Fluker Farms Inc. of Port Allen, Louisiana, which led the industry in breeding and supplying crickets and other insects used as feed, sought to strengthen its market by adding novelties like chocolate-covered crickets, which it sold in the United States and Japan.

Industry leader Charles River Laboratories of Wilmington, Massachusetts, had sales of $1.2 billion in 2009. Charles River dominated the industry by supplying laboratory animals to research facilities. Though renounced conspicuously by animal rights groups and activists, laboratory animal production was a successful facet of this industry, due to the constant demand for medical research. In April 2010 Charles River announced that it would combine with WuXi PharmaTech, which had facilities in the United States and China, in a deal worth about $1.6 billion. The combined company planned to retain the Charles River name.

Honey
Honey production in the United States fluctuated in the last two decades of the twentieth century but began a decline at the start of the 2000s. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2002, 171.1 million pounds of honey were produced in the United States. By 2009, this figure was down to 144 million pounds. North Dakota produced the most honey in the late years of the first decade of the 2000s, accounting for 36 million pounds or 22 percent of the nation's total in 2008. South Dakota and California were the second and third highest producers, respectively, with 21.4 million pounds and 18.4 million pounds in 2008.

About 2.46 million colonies produced honey in 2009, up 5 percent from 2008 but down from the 2002 figure of 2.52 million. Yield per colony was also down in 2009, with each colony producing an average of 58.5 pounds of honey, as compared to 67.8 pounds in 2002. The price of honey hit a record high in 2009, reaching $4.45 cents per pound.

Lamas
As competition in many show animal industries has escalated, many farmers turned to llama and alpaca production. According to Llamas and Alpacas of the Mid-Atlantic States (LAMA), llamas and alpacas are in the same animal genus, and the word "lamas" (one L) refers to both groups of animals. In 2010 the International Lama Registry reported 29,088 lama owners in the United States, up from 27,870 in 2004. Total U.S. population of lamas was reported at 162,740 in 2010. Producers--both professional and amateur--gravitated toward these animals because of their relatively low cost and their low-maintenance dispositions. Lamas do not require expensive feed; they can thrive on hay. In the late years of the first decade of the 2000s the average lama sold for $750, although high quality show animals could cost up to $15,000.