MARKET ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONAL EFFICIENCY

Industrial Organization,

Inheritance of nipple numbers in swine and the relationship to performance

This bulletin is a report of research under Project 3, 'Improvement of swine through breeding,' Department of Animal Husbandry in cooperation with the Regional Swine Breeding Laboratory, A.H.R.D., A.R.S., U.S. Department of Agriculture--P. [2].Digitized 2007 AES.Includes bibliographical references (page 16)

Geographic Structure of Milk Prices, 1964-65

Excerpts from the report: This study of the intermarket price structure for fluid milk analyzes the current situation and changes during the past 11 years. Distance from major supply areas to markets is a key factor in the geographic structure of prices of many farm products, including milk for fluid use. Under conditions of unrestricted movement of milk, differences in Class I prices would reflect transfer costs between markets. Price-distance analyses of actual prices paid by dealers are useful in identifying markets where Class I prices deviate from the average relationship between dealers' buying prices and distance. In addition to distance from major milk supply areas, other reasons for differences in prices dealers pay are (1) the Federal, State, and local milk regulations; (2) the supply and demand situations in the local markets; and (3) the bargaining positions of producers and distributors. This report deals primarily with the price-distance relationship

Coordinating Fluid Milk Supplies in the Pittsburgh Market

Excerpt from the report: How does market organization affect functional efficiency in a fluid milk market? This study seeks to determine and evaluate differences in the relative efficiency of alternative methods of coordinating the total milk supply with demand. Marketing firms employ various means to achieve a degree of balance between supply and demand. Some of these have resulted in greater efficiency--some in less. The degree of efficiency is compared by two measures: (1) The relative portion of the milk supply which must be carried as necessary reserves, and (2) the relative cost of managing and handling the flow of milk by different methods. The case study approach was used to compare relationships under the various coordinating systems. This report is based upon a study of the Pittsburgh, Pa., marketing area

Food Prices and Rising Energy Costs

Food processors spent nearly 5 cents for fuel per each dollar of value added by manufacture in 1977--double the amount spent in 1972 and 1967. This study suggests that measuring energy costs as a percentage of the value added by production or manufacture and as a percentage of labor and management earnings may be better than the commonly used measurement of energy costs as a percentage of cash sales or expenses

Geographic Structure of Milk Prices, 1975

This report measures and analyzes the relationship between prices paid by dealers for milk for fluid use and the distance from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The relationship between retail prices and distance from Eau Claire is also shown. In addition, a regression analysis indicates the relationship between retail prices and the prices paid by dealers

Coordinating Fluid Milk Supplies in the Oklahoma Metropolitan Milk Market

Excerpts from the report: This study seeks to determine and evaluate the relative efficiency of different methods for managing the total milk supply for fluid markets. The degree of efficiency is measured in two general ways: (1) The portion of the milk supply which must be carried as necessary reserves, and (2) the relative cost of managing and handling the flow of milk by different methods. The main objectives of research in the supply coordination area are: (1) To determine and evaluate the relative efficiency of different methods of managing the total milk supply for a market, (2) to describe the evolutionary process whereby specific markets have attained their present status, (3) to develop a course of action by which specific markets may achieve improvements in coordinating the milk supply, and (4) to generalize from the specific case studies so as to provide helpful information to other markets

The U.S. Poultry Industry: Changing Economics and Structure

While per capita consumption of poultry meat in 1981 has nearly doubled since 1960, retail prices rose only 74 percent for broilers, 67 percent for turkeys, and 59 percent for eggs. Vertical integration and technological advancements in the poultry industry have vastly improved production and efficiency, and enabled producers to hold costs down. Farm sales totaled $3.6 billion for eggs,$4.5 billion for broilers, and over $1.2 billion for turkeys in 1981, up from about$2 billion for eggs, $533 million for broilers, and$270 million for turkeys during the early fifties. Consumers paid only 86 percent more for poultry in 1981 than they did in 1960, compared with a 212-percent increase for all food