Structure of Dairy Markets: Past, Present, Future

The U.S. dairy industry, many segments of which supported dairy policy changes in the 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act, is much different than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. This report provides a historical overview of the industry, more detailed examinations of the fluid milk market and selected manufactured dairy product markets, a discussion of future prospects and trends in the industry, and some thoughts on the implications of those prospects and trends for dairy farmers and their organizations, processors, dairy product manufacturers, and retailers.dairy, butter, cheese, nonfat dry milk, market structure, pricing, competition, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

MILK PRICING IN THE UNITED STATES

This report provides a primer on the complex pricing system that has evolved in the United States to deal with milk production, its assembly (collection), and its distribution to alternative users. All the various government and private institutions making up the system are expected to work together to ensure that the public gets the milk it wants, while dairy farmers get the economic returns needed to provide the milk. The major institutions are the Federal milk price support program and milk marketing orders, the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact, State regulations, dairy cooperatives, and milk and dairy product futures and options markets. Our goal is to provide a primer on milk pricing that can serve as a steppingstone to other, more detailed works for those so inclined.Dairy, milk pricing, Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

Costs of Peeling Potatoes by Lye and Abrasive Methods

Excerpts from the report: Commercial peeling of potatoes for sale in fresh form became possible with the development of chemical treatments which control enzymatic discoloration and the finding that low temperatures will control spoilage. Hotels, restaurants, and institutions are the principal outlets for peeled potatoes, since spoilage can he controlled more closely in selling to these types of buyers. Several commercial plants have experimented with selling peeled potatoes in 1- or 2-pound packages through retail outlets. This study of the comparative costs of peeling potatoes by different methods is part of a broad program of research to reduce the costs of marketing farm products. The purpose of the report is to help operators of commercial potato peeling plants to decide which type of equipment is more economical for their particular plants

Market Structure, Institutions, and Performance in the Fluid Milk Industry

For 144 fluid milk markets throughout the country, the interrelationships of market structure, institutions, and performance in the postwar period are analyzed. Performance is measured in terms of marketing margins and innovativeness. The variables included explain about 40 percent of the variance In marketing margins and about 50 percent of the variance in innovativeness

Relationships of Food Costs, Expenditures, and Prices, 1960-74

Per capita expenditures for food for use at home leaped 86 percent between 1960 and 1974. Price increases were mainly responsible. Changes in household composition also contributed. Slightly moderating factors included small apparent declines in quantities consumed and shifts among foods consumed. Price movements between low-priced and high-priced foods are examined through the calculation of special price indexes. Time series measures, three consumer expenditure surveys, and the ARS food plans are discussed

Agriculture's Links with U.S. and World Economies

The food and fiber system is one of the largest sectors in the U.S. economy, even though farming itself takes up only about 3 percent of the total work force. Within the last 30 years, the food and fiber system has found itself increasingly reliant on nonfarm industries and increasingly affected by general economic developments, not only within the Nation but from overseas as well. As the farm work force has shrunk, nonmetro areas' dependence on farming has declined too. Today only about a third of the nonmetro counties rely on farming for more than 20 percent of total personal income

The Organization of Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets in Denver, Salt Lake City, El Paso, Albuquerque, and Butte

Excerpts from the report Introduction: Five wholesale produce markets in Texas and the Mountain States are the major sources of fresh fruits and vegetables for a vast area stretching from the Mexican to the Canadian borders. The operations of wholesale produce firms in these markets -- Denver, Salt Lake City, El Paso, Albuquerque, and Butte -- are probably the most extensive, in terms of geographic coverage by the employees of the firms, of any in the United States. Many firms make regular deliveries 400 and 500 miles away. This report describes the organization and operation of these markets, including the buying, selling, and operating practices of the wholesalers and chains in the markets, and the changes that have taken place during the past quarter century. The information on which the report is based was obtained as part of a nationwide study of the organization and operations of wholesale produce markets. The purpose of the study was to describe and appraise the current status of wholesale markets and the changes that had taken place in them. The findings should give firms in wholesale and shipping-point markets, farmers, and interested citizens and public agencies a better understanding of the forces at work in the marketing system for fresh fruits and vegetables, and provide a basis for making better decisions in adjusting to the changes taking place throughout the structure of marketing