6—Lancaster Farming, Friday. August 29, 1958
Survey Shows 94% of Broilers
Produced on Contract In Delaware
Most of the broilers (94 per
cent) produced in lower Dela
ware m 1955 were grown under
contracts with feed dealers or
by dealers themselves, according
to a survey of the area.
This study, made cooperatively
by USD A and the Delaware Agri
cultural Experiment Station,
shows 66 per cent of the broilers
were produced undei contract
with feed dealers, 18 per cent by
contracting dealers themselves, 10
per cent by noncontracting deal
ers who sold little or no feed
Only six per cent of all broilers
were produced by the area’s in
dependent growers
Most growers preferred to grow
broilers under contract, says ARS
agncultuial economist F D Han
smg, m charge of the survey
Growers were willing to 1 invest
funds, labor, and material in
houses and equipment, but few
were willing to accept all risks by
investing in chicks and supplies
These arrangements limited risks
growers assumed, and m many
instances, assured a return for
their labor and investment.
FIVE DIFFERENT types of
contracts were found in use. They
were;
1 Share system returns split on
a predetermined basis of 75 - 25,
80-20, or %-Vs, the grower re
ceiving the larger share
2. Guarantee - share system,
grower guaranteed $4O or $5O per
thousand birds started and half
the net return, if any, over the
guarantee.
3 Flat fee grower paid $5O to
875 per thousand birds started, re
gardless of prices or total return.
4. Feed conversion payments to
grower based on ratio between
feed used and broiler meat pro
duced. -
5. Salary of labor- grower paid
a specified amount for raising
broilers, sometimes as monthly
salary
THE GROWER, UNDER all
these contracts, usually provided
the house, equipment, and labor
to raise the flock. The dealer fur
nished the feed, medicine, vac
cine, and other necessary sup
plies Dealers also arranged and
pdd for other items not in stock,
such as chicks, fuel, and litter
The dealer retained title until
broilers were marketed, and ab
sorbed deficits if flocks did not
sell for an amount equal to the
items charged against them. Some
return for labor and investment
was guaranteed for more than 70
per cent of the broilers produced
under contract
Most contract growers had
relatively small net worth and
produced broilers on a small
scale Independent growers, on
the average, had larger net worth
and produced on a larger scale
than contract growers. Apparent
ly, as net worth and size of opera
tion increased, more growers felt
that they could afford to accept
the risks of producing broilers
SLIGHTLY MORE than half of
the broiler growers were full
time farmers Others were part
time, retired, and nonfarmers.
Full-time farmers were more
prone than others to produce in
dependently, probably because
net worth was larger. Retired per
sons with smallest net worth were
least inclined to produce inde
pendently.
Policies and methods of lending
institutions apparently were not
responsible to any considerable
extent for the prevalence of con
tracting Terms on which small
growers were financed appeared
about as favorable as those ex
tended to large growers.
The broiler industry in Dela
ware comprises feed manufactur
ers, hatcheries, processing plants,
and the auction, as well as grow-
GEORGE E. HORNER, 31, Centre Hall, dren. As Pennsylvania’s entry in the 1957
Centre County, Pennsylvania, is a tenant national contest Horner finished 10th. He
farmer for W. P. Campbell on the Penn’s is vice president of Penn’s Valley Young
Cave Farms, six miles east of Centre Hall. Farmers Association. * (LF Photo)
He is married and the father of two chil-
ers and retail dealers The indus
try is largely self-contained Most
of the broiler feed used is manu
factured locally and most broilers
grown in the area are hatched
and processed locally
The central figure is the feed
dealer who contracts with grow
ers About 24 per cent of these
dealers also had their own feed
mills and manufactured part or
all of the feed they sold, and 11
per cent had a financial interest
in hatcheries. Thus there is a con
siderable measure of unified con
trol in the production of broilers
in lower Delaware.
Is Your Dairy Program
Complete ?
Do You Handle Your Roughage To The Best
Advantage?
Do You Feed Your Cows On The Basis Of
Their Capacity To Produce?
Do You Feed The Right Kind of Grain Ration
And The Correct Protein Level?
Do You Enjoy The ECONOMY OF BULK
DELIVERY?
4.
FOR HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS . . . ASK ANY MILLER &
BUSHONG REPRESENTATIVE OR CALL LANCASTER
EX 2-2145, COLLECT.
*'*srocKf«- e '
Manufacturers of Poultry and Live Stock Feed Since 1875.
Good Breakfast Is
Year-Round Need
Keep up the good breakfast
habit when children start back to
school Every child needs a hearty
breakfast to start his day right.
A good breakfast should in
clude one-fourth to one-third of
the daily food requirements. And
lack of this morning meal affects
the child’s disposition and his
mental and physical alertness. Be
tween-meal snacks and larger
lunches don’t make up for a poor
breakfast.
Breakfast is a good time to get
the day’s quota of vitamin C
& Miller &
I Bushong, Inc.
Ph. Lancaster EX 2-2145
Citrus fruit, tomatoes, and canta
loupe are high in vitamin C If
you choose to serve other fruit, be
sure to include a vitamin C-neh
food at some other meal.
A good breakfast should have
a dish for protein and energy.
This may be cereal served with
nlenty of milk, or eggs or meat.
Whole grain or enriched bread
and cereal furnish energy, some
protein, and vitamins and miner
als
Milk is a must for breakfast,
either as beverage or on cereal.
Itemember that each child needs
a quart of milk every day for de
veloping strong bones and teeth.
Rohrerstown, Pa.