Area 1 



Although Aroostook County, Maine, and Coos County. New Hampshire, 

 are widely separated they are essentially alike with respect to poultry pro- 

 duction and processing. The main agricultural enterprises are potatoes in 

 Aroostook County and dairying in Coos County. Poultry production is 

 relatively unimportant. Hence, these counties are non-commercial in poultry 

 production, and processing is performed largely to supply local markets. 

 Both counties are remote from major consuming centers; both are deficit 

 in poultry meat. The limited amount of poultry meat produced comes almost 

 entirely from the sale of cull fowl and young chickens raised in conjunction 

 with laying flock replacement programs. Poultry moves southward out of 

 these counties in live form via live buyers and processing plant collection, 

 and into these counties in processed form. 



In these two counties, slaughter is about a fourth of the small volume 

 available. All processors of chickens in Area 1 have very small volumes. 

 Many are either producer-processors or former producers engaged in limited 

 processing. 



Area 2 



Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox. Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Waldo counties 

 of Maine contain most of the large processing plants in the state, among 

 which are several of the newest and largest in New England. This area, plus 

 portions of adjacent counties account for most of Maine's production of 

 commercial meat chickens. Several of these counties are also important in 

 egg production and are important sources of fowl and related market 

 classes. Poultry production is of major importance in the agriculture of 

 the area. This area is highly commercialized, and heavily surplus. Since it 

 is remote from major consuming areas, the large processing industry is or- 

 ganized for supplying distant volume outlets. Commercial meat chickens are 

 much more important than fowl and other "farm chickens". 



The A'olume of poultry produced and processed in central Maine has in- 

 creased substantially in recent years. Significant shifts in industry practices 

 have occurred I Table 1 ) . Central Maine, among the commercial and semi- 

 commercial groupings, has moved relatively further toward an eviscerated 

 product than other areas. This trend is continuing and is also proceeding 

 rapidly in other areas of New England. The largest Maine plants, and most 

 of the large plants in other areas, are concentrating more and more on 

 broilers and fryers and other young chickens. Contract growing has ex- 

 panded rapidly in most areas where commercial meat chickens are important. 

 In Maine this has appeared almost entirely as direct contracting by the 

 processing firms (or their affiliates). In other areas, processing firms have 

 done less direct contracting, though contract growing and various financial 

 arrangements between feed companies, hatcheries, and other agents, and 

 growers are in widespread use. 



Slaughter in central Maine plants exceeds the volume available in the 

 sample counties. The larger plants in this territory have many growers in 

 the adjacent counties of Penobscot, Hancock, Piscataquis, Somerset. Franklin, 

 Oxford, and Cumberland. 



Area 3 



Belknap, Hillsboro, Merrimack, Rockingham, and Strafford counties in south- 

 eastern New Hampshire contain all of the sizable processing plants in the 

 state. Poultry production is about equally important with dairying. This 



