Broiler Farms' Organization, Management, and Performance

Janet Perry, David Banker, and Robert Green

Agriculture Information Bulletin No. (AIB748) 48 pp, March 1999

This study provides a comprehensive view of the organization, management, and financial performance of U.S. broiler farms. Using data from USDA's Agricultural Resource Management Study (ARMS, formerly known as the Farm Costs and Returns Survey), we examine farm size, financial structure, household income, management practices, and spousal participation in decisionmaking. We compare broiler operations with other farming enterprises and their earnings with that of the average U.S. household. Because most of the 7 billion broilers produced in the United States in 1995 were raised under contract, we also explore the use of contracts and the effects of contracting on the broiler sector.

Keywords: Broilers, contracting, poultry, farm characteristics, farm income, farm operator characteristics, risk management strategies

In this report ...

Chapters are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

• Front matter (title page, contents, list of tables, list of figures, summary), 111 Kb
• Introduction, 99 Kb
• Poultry Production in the United States, 1,368 Kb
• Contracting in the Poultry Industry, 94 Kb
• Management and Performance on Broiler Farms, 184 Kb
• References, 96 Kb

• Entire Report, 1,523 Kb

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Updated date: March 1, 1999