The Economic Organization of U.S. Broiler Production
By James M. MacDonald
Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-38) 33 pp,
June 2008
Broiler production in the United States is coordinated almost entirely through systems
of production contracts, in which a grower’s compensation is based, in part, on how the
grower’s performance compares with that of other growers. The industry is undergoing
a gradual structural change as production shifts to larger broiler enterprises that provide
larger shares of an operator’s household income. Larger enterprises require substantially
larger investments in broiler housing, and new or retrofitted houses are also an important
source of productivity growth in the industry. This report, based on a large and representative
survey of broiler operations, describes the industry’s organization, housing
features, contract design, fees and enterprise cost structures, and farm and household
finances.
Keywords: Broilers, chickens, production contracts, broiler grower financial performance, chicken housing, chicken litter, poultry, ERS, USDA
In this report ... Chapters are
in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Charts and graphs (in .png format) from this report are available in the .zip file listed below. The .zip file also contains a document (readme.txt) that lists the name and title of each chart or graph file.
Updated date: June 30, 2008
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