Production Management Problems on Specialized Poultry Farms 



There have been a number of significant changes in the scope, structure, 

 organization, and seasonal aspects of the New Hampshire poultry industry 

 in recent years. No comprehensive poultry management study has been 

 carried out at this Experiment Station since 1929-30. With increasing 

 specialization in eggs or poultry meat, the problems of management differ 

 from those in earlier years. Information is needed on such matters as econ- 

 omies of scale, the effects of combining labor and capital in various pro- 

 portions, some of the advantages and disadvantages of various alternative 

 enterprises and combinations thereof, as well as an appraisal of the magni- 

 tude and direction of changes in the industry. 



Some preliminary work was carried out during the year which would 

 enable rapid progress in this study, should it be reactivated. This involved 

 re-drafting field questionnaires, pre-testing these forms, assembling data 

 from secondary sources, revising field questionnaires, and selecting a sample 

 of poultry farms for study. It was decided to concentrate initially on poultry 

 farms specializing in market and/or hatching eggs. The sample of about 30 

 farms was selected to include both part-time and full-time operations, and 

 various unit sizes. 



G. B. Rogers 



Costs and Efficiency in Marketing Poultry Products 



The production of poultry meat has become a very important source of 

 income to New Hampshire poultry farmers in the past 12 years. Since 1940 

 poultry meat production has increased fourfold. Changes in the marketing 

 system both as to kind and quantity of services offered have also occurred. 

 It is evident that this system, at present, possesses areas of inefficiency, and 

 that in some cases the resources involved are not being used fully. If the 

 poultry meat industry in this state is to develop further, it must meet the 

 competition for markets from producers in other areas, and its ability to do 

 this will depend to a large extent upon the economy with which its products 

 are marketed. 



This research is concerned with discovering the problem areas in 

 poultry meat marketing and with finding ways to improve efificiency. Pre- 

 liminary results indicate that most of the broilers are marketed through an 

 integrated system which is relatively efficient, but that the fowl, coming 

 from many widely scattered and often small farms, is marketed largely 

 through many small handlers. Whether improvements can be made in this 

 area will be determined by this study. 



W. F. Henry 



Effects of Reservoir Construction on the Agricultural Economy 

 of the Merrimack River Valley 



Future development of dry reservoirs for flood control is planned in 

 New Hampshire and other states. Various governmental agencies, farmers, 

 utility companies, and industrial firms are anxious to determine the benefits 

 and costs of such construction. Since farmers are primarily concerned with 

 the land acquisition in the reservoir sites, and are also benefited by reduced 

 flood danger in the valley below the dam, this study of the effect of reservoir 

 construction on agriculture is being made as an aid and guide to the farmer. 



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