ANALYSIS 



Characteristics of Egg Marketing Firms 



Classification 



A total of 105 egg marketing firms were surveyed in five New 

 England States (Table 1 and Figure 1). Of these, approximately one- 

 half (55 firms) were classified in the producer group with only 4 firms 

 classified as strictly producers. The firms in this group performed at 

 least one marketing function and the majority (36 of the 55) performed 

 the functions of packing and wholesaling. 



All producers contacted who retailed the majority of their eggs also 

 performed the grading and packing functions on those eggs. Therefore 

 all these producers were classified as producer-packer-retailers. 



Twenty-eight firms were classified as packer-wholesalers. No packers 

 were discovered in the survey who bought eggs, prepared them for 

 market, and sold a majority of their eggs directly to consumers. Thus 

 there were no packer-retailers. 



Sixteen firms were classified as wholesalers, and six firms were 

 grouped in a miscellaneous grouping which included assemblers, break- 

 ers and truckers. 



No brokerage operations were included in the survey sample. A 

 very limited number of eggs produced in New England were marketed 

 through brokers for use in the New England area at the time of this 

 study. 



Business Organization 



The 105 egg marketing firms were grouped into four ownership 

 categories: sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations and coopera- 

 tives ( Table 2 ) . In the five states included in the survey, about half of 

 the egg marketing firms were sole proprietorships. Thirty firms had a 

 corporate ownership structure, fifteen were held in partnership and 

 seven were cooperatives. 



The variation in the ownership patterns among the different states 

 was probably due to the difference in the classification mix in the states 

 (Table 1). Sole proprietorships were proportionally highest in New 



Table 2. Form of Business Organization of Egg Marketing Firms 

 Surveyed in Five New England States. 



