decreased by 3%, which was less than that for the State. The smaller loss was 

 because of private ownership composition. About 41% of the forest land is 

 owned by private forest industries, and their holdings were relatively stable 

 in 1969-79. The area of Municipal, State, and Federal forested lands have in- 

 creased about 3.3%, but it is farm woodlots that has decreased in area 

 (357,000 acres in 1969 to 135,000 acres in 1979). Farmers have tended to hold 

 forest land as a reserve against unforseen cash needs, but have sold off these 

 lands to raise income when inflation outpaced farmers earnings or, when 

 feasible, they converted forest lands to pasture or cropland. In a 1973 pub- 

 lication the Florida Division of Forestry reported that about 45% of the 

 farmers in Northwest Florida were willing to sell forested lands. Owners 

 further south are less willing to sell. 



Because the real price of timber in Northwest Florida has been rising, an 

 apparent scarcity exists (Barnett and Morse 1963). 



Poultry 



Based on cash receipts, poultry (principally broilers) rank first in 

 importance among animal products in Northwest Florida and third as an agricul- 

 tural commodity. The 1979 dollar value of broilers in 1978 was $6,741,000 

 ($3.5 million in real dollars). Of the seven counties in Northwest Florida, 

 Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton are major poultry producers. Although Santa 

 Rosa County is a major producer, data were not made available to avoid dis- 

 closure of individual operations. In 1978, Okaloosa and Walton Counties sold 

 5.3 million broilers; 8.2% of the State's broiler sales. Broiler sales in 

 Northwest Florida increased 72% in 1974-78, but State sales increased only 

 36%. Broilers in the cash receipts for Okaloosa, and Walton counties was $8.4 

 million 1978. 



The real price of broilers received by farmers decreased from 30 cents a 

 pound in 1954 to 14 cents a pound in 1978. Given that the price elasticity of 

 poultry at the retail level is 0.5910 (U.S.D.A. unpublished data), and the 

 real price of poultry has risen at the retail level, retailers have increased 

 total revenue. When the price of poultry rises by 1% at the retail level, 

 consumer demand will fall 0.591%. Since total revenue equals price times 

 quantity, the retailers total revenue will rise. The implications for the 

 farmer are quite the reverse. As the real price of poultry falls at the farm 

 gate by 1%, wholesalers and retailers will increase the quantity demand by 

 less than 1%. This means that total revenue should fall. This, of cou.'se, 

 has not been the case because of growing consumer income, population growth, 

 and the rise in other meat prices have greatly increased the demand for poul- 

 try. The income elasticity of poultry is 0.2103 (U.S.D.A. unpublished data). 



Poultry are not scarce according to Barnett and Morse (1963), because the 

 real price of poultry at the farm gate has been declining, and the supply is 

 growing faster than demand. 



Corn 



Corn is grown on more acreage in the State than any other crop. The two 

 basic types of corn grown in Florida are sweetcorn for human consumption, 

 grown primarily in central and south Florida, and field corn for animal feed, 

 grown primarily in west and north Florida. The bulk of the corn is now sold 



120 



