Poultry and egg prices at New Orleans
Transcript of Poultry and egg prices at New Orleans
Louisiana State UniversityLSU Digital Commons
LSU Agricultural Experiment Station Reports LSU AgCenter
1944
Poultry and egg prices at New OrleansJames M. Baker
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Louisiana Bulletin No, 385 September, 1944
POULTRY AND EGG PRICES AT NEW ORLEANS
By
J. M. Baker
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
W. G. Taggart, Director
CONTENTSPage
INTRODUCTION ^
PRICES OF CHICKENS - 3
Hens ^
Springs and Broilers ^
Roosters and Capons -^
PRICES OF TURKEYS ^
Turkey hens ^
Toms ^
PRICES OF GEESE AND DUCKS ^ ,12
Geese ^ 12
Ducks ^ -
PRICES OF EGGS 1^
SUMMARY .
POULTRY AND EGG PRICES AT NEW ORLEANS
By J. M. Baker
INTRODUCTION
New Orleans with its population of about one half million people
is naturally a large consumer of poultry products. Its location makesit an important market for farm products of Louisiana and adjacent
territory. No information is available to indicate the total annual
consumption of poultry and eggs in this city, but it is known that in
addition to the receipts from Louisiana large quantities of these products
are received from other states. In the large trade area of New Orleans
no doubt there are producers, dealers, agricultural workers and others
who would like to have any additional information that would assist
them in disposing of their products to the best advantage at this market.
This report on poultry and egg prices at New Orleans is designed
to render such a service.
The period covered by the material submitted is for the years 1931
to 1943. The objectives are: (1) to define the different kinds and classes
of products, (2) to present the monthly and yearly prices of poultry andeggs with their seasonal and year to year variations, and (3) to explain
the causes of seasonal changes in prices.
The data from which most of the prices were calculated were ob-
tained from daily quotations in the Times-Picayune, a daily newspaperpublished in New Orleans. The prices for the last half of 1943 wereprovided by the New Orleans Office of Price Administration. Themonthly prices were procured by averaging- the daily quotations.
PRICES OF CHICKENS
Chickens at the New Orleans wholesale markets are divided into
five different classes. In order of their importance in volume as regis-
tered at the Board of Health inspection station they are: hens, springs,
roosters, broilers and capons. The amount of these different classes of
poultry checked by the inspection station in 1940 is shown in Table I.
Although this table gives only a part of the total receipts of chickens
at New Orleans, it will serve to indicate the seasonal changes in receipts
of the different classes and help to explain some of the variations
in prices.
Acknowledgments are made to the wholesale produce dealers of NewOrleans, Dr. C. W. Upp of L. S. U. Agricultural Experiment Station, and Mr.Clyde Ingram, Poultry Specialist, Agricultural Extension Service, for co-operation in the interpretation of the price data.
Table l. Amount of Chickens Recorded at the Board of HealthInspection Station, New Orleans, by Classes and by
Quarters of the Year 1940
(]lass
FirstQuarter
SecondQuarter
ThirdQuarter
FourthQuarter Year
Pounds
Hens 934,450 1,125,454 1,009,325 1,045,088 4,114,325
Springs 498,747 645,387 859,359 554,011 2,557,504
Roosters 24,166 39,606 30,119 32,731 126,622
Broilers 1,275 0 1,645 6,000 8,920
Capons 978 u AU AU 978
\T 1 V" £k rl*
iviixeu 1 uo,o / o 1 27
Total 1,564,299 1,812,070 2,027,873
Per Cent
1,844,605 7,248,847
TTHens 22.7 24.5 2o.4 i AA A100.0
Springs 19.5 25.2 33.6 21.7 100.0
Roosters 19.1 31.3 23.8 25.8 100.0
Broilers 14.3 0.0 18.4 67.3 100.0
Capons 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0
Mixed* 23.9 0.4 28.9 46.9 100.0
Per cent of Yr. 21.6 25.0 28.0 25.4 100.0
*No record of classes in mixed lots.
Hens \
All female chickens when one year old and over, or have begun
to lay, are classed as hens. This class of chickens in 1940, accordhig
to Table I, constituted 57 per cent of the total receipts of chickens
at New Orleans. The highest receipts of the year were in the second
quarter, April, May, and June, at an average of 27.4 per cent of the
total yearly receipts. The wholesale prices of hens at New Orleans,
as calculated from quotations in the Times-Picayune for the years
1931 to 1943 are shown in Table 2.
4
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The prices of hens reached the highest monthly average for the
13-year period in April at 18.1 cents a pound (Table 2). The lowest
monthly average price was in July at 15.9 cents a pound. The better
prices from January to May are due to producers holding back hens
during the main laying season. The low prices in the summer may
be attributed to: (1) increased supply of hens at the market: (2) high
percentage of poor quality hens, or culls; and (3) a good supply of
young chickens. The advance in price during September and October
is the result of light receipts. Laying hens and pullets are kept in the
flocks because of the increase in prices of eggs. In November and
December the prices of hens decline with the competition of large
supplies of turkeys, rabbits and game in season.
The breed of hens affects materially their market value. Leghorn
hens, for example, sell alive at one to three cents a pound below the
prices of the heavier breeds. This is merely a consumer preference
as little, if any, difference is noticed after the hens are dressed.
Springs and Broilers
Springs are termed "young chickens" in Table 3, and are described
as chickens about one year old, or under, weighing 2.5 to 4.0 pounds.
Broilers are young chickens weighing 2.5 pounds or less. Springs
accounted for about 35 per cent of the chickens received at NewOrleans in 1940. Broilers comprised about one per cent of the
receipts.
The price of springs averaged fox the 13-year period, 1931-1943,
about 3 cents a pound above the price of hens, and about 2 cents a
pound below the price of broilers. The steady increase in the average
price of springs from 18.6 cents a pound in January to 26.3 cents a
pound in April is attributed to scarcity in the supply at the market
of this class of chickens and a decline in the quantity of fall and winter
turkeys. The low summer prices may be charged to increase in supply.
The price increase in September, which is due to decrease in supply,
is checked in October, November, and December because of the usual
and seasonal quantity of turkeys and rabbits offered for sale.
Breeds affect the price of young chickens also. Leghorn broilers,
on the average, are quoted alive at one to three cents a pound below
the prices of the heavier breeds. Barred and White Plymouth Rocks
are the breeds of young chickens most in demand at the New Orleans
wholesale markets.
Roosters and Capons
Roosters average little less than two per cent of the chicken
receipts at New Orleans. The receipts of capons are negligible.
Though the quotations on roosters were too irregular to tabulate, the
price for the period appeared to be about 5 cents a pound below the
price of hens. The few quotations on the price of capons were 20
cents a pound, which was ridiculously low.
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PerCent
130
Index of Monthly Prices of Chickens at New Orleans
1931-1943
120
110
100
90
80
70 I
Young Chickens
Hens
Av . for i2 moa . s 100
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Figure 1
PerCent
130
120
110
100
Index of Yearly Prices of Chickens at New Orleans
1931-1943
70
80
90 . V
77
I:
\ /K «
Average 1931-1943 - (00
1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943
Figure 2
8
PRICES OF TURKEYS
Turkeys comprise about 10 per cent of the total poultry receiptsat New Orleans, according to the Board of Health records taken at
the inspection station in 1940. The seasonal receipts checked at thestation in that year are shown in Table 4.
TABLE 4. Amount of Turkeys Recorded at the Board of HealthInfection Station, New Orleans, by Classes and by
Seasons in 1940
ClassFirst
QuarterSecondQuarter
ThirdQuarter
FourthQuarter Year
Pounds
Hens 45,900 56,851 19,840 353,119 475,710
Toms , 16,727 18,387 4,150 317,225 356,939
Total 62,627 75,688 23,990
Per Cent
670,344 832,649
Hens 9.6 12.0 4.2 74.2 100.0
Toms 4.6 5.3 1.2 88.9 100.0
Percent of Yr. 7.5 9.1 2.9 80.5 100.0
Turkey Hens
The prices of turkey hens at New Orleans are higher in Decem-ber, January, February and March than during other months of theyear (Table 5). This is due to the retention of hens on the farmsduring the first quarter of the year for breeding purposes. The lowprice in summer is due chiefly to the supply of good chickens. Theprice increases from September through December are the result of a
good demand for turkeys. The demand is usually accompanied bya relatively heavy seasonal supply.
Toms
Seasonal variations in the prices of toms, or gobblers as they are
termed in the price quotations, are about the same as in the caseof turkey hens. One exception, however, is that the relatively highprice for toms in the spring is due to scarcity at the market. The youngmale birds are quoted, on the average, about one half cent a poundbelow the price of turkey hens, or about one and one half cents apound above the price of old toms. The monthly and yearly varia-tions in prices of turkey hens are shown graphically in Figures 3 and 4,
9
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Index of Monthly Prices of Turkey Hens at New Orleans
1931-1943
PerCent
130
120
110
100
70
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Figure 3
PerCent
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
Index of Yearly Prices of Turkey Hens at New Orleans
1931-1943
1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943
Figure 4
11
PRICES OF GEESE AND DUCKS
Geese and ducks together at the New Orleans markets probably
constitute less than one per cent of the total supply of poultry. They
are not divided into classes or grades. The seasonal receipts vary about
the same as the seasonal receipts of turkeys. The prices of geese and
ducks at New Orleans for the period, 1931-1943, are shown in Tables 6
and 7, respectively. The monthly and yearly variations in prices are
charted in Figures 5 and 6.
Geese
The average price of geese for the period 1931-1943 moved rather
steadily from a high point of 12.0 cents a pound in January to a low
average of 10.1 cents in August and September. The higher prices
in the winter months are due to good demand and good quality
of geese. Declining prices in the spring are the result of a supply of
good chickens. Low prices in the summer may be assigned chiefly
to small demand and off-season for geese.
Ducks
In quoting the prices of ducks at New Orleans little distinction,
if any, is made in breeds. The best stage at which to market ducklings
is when they are "finished", or full-fleshed, and before heavy pin feather
development starts. In Louisiana, pin feathers usually appear at the
Index of Monthly Prices of Geese and Ducks at New Orleans
1931-1943
PerCent
120
110
100
•
Ducks
Ge«9e
Averago for the 12 months » 100
I 1 L 1 1 » . _1 1 1
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Figure 5
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age of 12 to 16 weeks. The prices of ducks are determined mainly
by supply and quality. The seasonal changes in prices of ducks coin-
cide closely with the changes in the prices of geese. New Orleans
is reported as not being an especially good market for ducks.
Index of Yearly Prices of Geese and Ducks at New Orleans
1931-1943
PerCent
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
tl
•1
/ •
Ducks
//i ,—
• \ / * • • .
% / 4 ^ Geese% ^ / "
//
1 *i' 1 .. A i_—1 « J < i 1
1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943
Figure 6
PRICES OF EGGS
The only eggs for which price quotations were available for the
entire period involved in this report are the common run of Louisiana
eggs and quoted at the wholesale markets of New Orleans as "current
receipts." These lots of eggs are usually ungraded as to size, color, clean-
liness and oftentimes freshness. They are sometimes referred to as
"yard eggs," "country eggs" or "market run" eggs. The average monthly
and yearly prices of current receipt eggs, which are referred to below
as just "eggs," for the period, 1931-1943, are presented in Table 8.
The indexes of these prices are charted in Figures 7 and 8.
The highest average monthly prices of eggs at New Orleans during
the period were in December and the lowest monthly prices were
in June. This differs from Louisiana farm prices of this quality of
eggs which drop to the lowest price level in March. The low price
in June at New Orleans is due mainly to poor quality of eggs, and
the low farm price in March is due to heavy seasonal supply and con-
gestion in the rural areas. Part of the heavy March farm supply is
taken up by packers and others for storage which reduces the deliveries
14
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31
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to New Orleans at that time. The steady movement upward to an
average for the 13-year period of 28.2 cents a dozen in December
may be attributed to a relatively short supply, increased demand and
better quality of eggs. But the price is checked by the competition
of storage eggs, many of them from Louisiana as well as from other
parts of the country. Because of low production in late fall and winter
in Louisiana and less competition from storage eggs, the price of eggs
in the rural areas in December may equal or even exceed T;he prices
at New Orleans.
With production at a peak in the spring and extremely low in the
fall and winter, producers realize lower yearly average prices for their
eggs than if production were more evenly distributed throughout the
year. It is obvious also that the extremely low farm prices in the spring
may be improved somewhat by better marketing facilities. More care-
ful grading and packing with larger volume shipments without doubt
would stimulate the market demand for Louisiana eggs and thereby
net producers more profit.
Much of the egg supply at New Orleans originates in Texas.
These eggs are of the "current receipt" type but appear to be better
assorted and more carefully candled than the eggs from Louisiana.
For this difference Texas eggs at New Orleans demand a premium
of one to two cents a dozen over Louisiana current receipt eggs.
Index of Monthly Prices of Louisiana Current Receipt Eggs
New Orleans, 1931-1943
PerCent
110
100
90
80
70
130
120
Average for the 12 aontha « JOO
J L
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Figure 7
16
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Index of Yearly Prices of Louisiana Monthly Current Receipt Eggs i
New Orleans, 1931-1943 I
PerCent
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
Average 1931-1943 = 100
J I —i. JL I— L -! *«
1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943
Figure 8
Prices o£ eggs from other states, of course, are subject to variations in
quality and price also. Grade "A" eggs under ordinary conditions
are priced about three cents a dozen above "current receipt" eggs at
the New Orleans wholesale markets. Under O. P. A. regulations the
margin is about 7 cents a dozen.
SUMMARY
The heaviest receipts of chickens at New Orleans, according to a
partial report on total receipts by the Board of Health inspection station,
are during the third quarter of the year with an average of 28 per cent,
of the year's supply. The lowest receipts are in the first quarter. The
seasonal price of hens, which constitute about 27 per cent of the total
amount of poultry at this market, averaged highest in April at 18.1 cents
a pound and lowest in July at 15;9 cents a pound. In November and De-
cember the prices of hens as well as other classes of chickens are affected
by the competition of turkeys and rabbits. Springs and broilers com-
prised about 35 per cent of the chicken receipts at NeW Orleans m 194U.
The highest receipts of springs were in the third quarter of the year.
Springs averaged in price about 3 cents a pound and broilers about 5
cents a pound above the prices of hens.
Turkeys comprise about 10 per cent of the poultry receipts at
New Orleans with the largest volume in the last quarter of the year.
The best prices for turkeys are in December, January, February, and
March. Prices are lowest in June and July.
18
Indications are that New Orleans is not an especially good market
for geese and ducks. The best average price for geese for the 13-year
period was in January at 12 cents a pound. The average price in
summer was about 10 cents The price of ducks is 1.5 to 2 cents
a]^',-:md above that of geese.
The prices quoted for eggs were for regular, "current receipts."
The average price of these eggs for the period ranged from 28.2 cents
a dozen in December to 16.8 cents a dozen in June. For this quality
of receipts Texas eggs bring a premium of one to two cents a dozen
above the prices of the eggs from Louisiana. This appears to be due
chiefly to better candling and packing. Grade "A" eggs at the NewOrleans wholesale markets net about 3 cents a dozen over "current
receipts.**
19
Louisiana Bulletin No. 386 October, 1944
STORAGE OF IRISH POTATOES IN
THE LOWER SOUTH
By
W. D. KiMBROUGH
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITYAND
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS
W. G. Taggart, Director