Livestock Markets in New Hampshire 



By J. R. BOWRING 



Associate Agricultural Economist 

 New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station 



Introduction 



LIVESTOCK SOLD for slaughter from New Hampshire farms is pri- 

 marily a joint product of the dairy industry. Some few specialized beef, 

 hog, and sheep producers also contribute to the market. A major part of the 

 trade in livestock is for breeding and replacement of dairy herds. 



The methods of marketing, the agencies concerned, and the pricing 

 techniques discussed in this bulletin are an indication of the efficiency 

 with which livestock moves from farms to the final consumer in the State of 

 New Hampshire. 



Review of Literature 



A study of the marketing of Vermont cattle by Fred E. Webster ^ re- 

 viewed the existing outlets for Vermont farmers. He recommended im- 

 provements in farm pricing and market reporting without specifying any 

 particular market process that would improve returns to farmers. Curtiss 

 and Matzen^ reviewed the market institutions for livestock sales from New 

 York farms and stressed the importance of replacement sales in that dairy 

 state. They found that auctions were not widely used by farmers who 

 bought their hogs and sheep for fattening from other farmers or dealers. 



There are many studies of livestock markets in specialized producing 

 states,^ but these are of little importance to New Hampshire since the size 

 of our industry and the conditions of production differ. New Hampshire is 

 more characteristic of the New England conditions about which there has 

 been little organized study. 



Location of Production 



There were 109.658 cattle and calves on farms in New Hampshire in 

 IQSO.'* Of these 60,141 were milk cows, leaving 49,517 beef animals, dairy 

 calves, bulls, and heifers under two years. The majority of these were 

 dairy breeds. 



1 Marketing of Vermont Cattle. F. E. Webster, Vt. Ag. Exp. Sta., Bui. 569. 



2 Marketing Nezv York Livestock. W. M. Curtiss and E. H. Matzen, New York 

 Agr. Exp. Sta., Ithaca, N. Y. Bui. 744. 



^See Bibliography on the Marketing of Livestock, Meat and Meat Products. 

 USDA Bui. 15, 1951. 



^ U. S. Census of Agriculture, 1950. U. S. Department of Commerce. 



