xt7hhm52h806 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7hhm52h806/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 1960 journals 091 English Lexington : Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Kentucky Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Progress report (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n.91 text Progress report (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n.91 1960 2014 true xt7hhm52h806 section xt7hhm52h806 _ Progress Report 91 l
Filing Code; 7—··1
A STRAWBERRY MARKETING IN KENTUCKY — 1959
By Willard H. Minton
Department of Agricultural Economics
Fourteen local strawberry assembly markets served Kentucky farmers
l in 1959. These 14 markets were; (1) Cincinnati Produce Growers Association,
Cincinnati, Ohio; (2) Cumberland Strawberry Growers Association, Somerset,
Ky.; (3) East Kentucky Strawberry Growers Association, Paintsville, Ky.;
(4) Edmonson Growers Cooperative Association, Brownsville, Ky.; (5) Fern
- Creek Strawberry Growers, Fern Creek, Ky.; (6) Hunt‘s Strawberry .
Franklin, Ky.; (7) Green River Growers Association, Greenville, Ky.;
(8) Independent Strawberry Growers Cooperative Association, Bowling Green,
Ky.; (9) Kentucky Growers Strawberry Association, Somerset, Ky.; (10)
I Kentucky Mountain Growers Cooperative Association, Morehead, Ky.; (11)
Logan County Fruit and Vegetable Market, Russellville, Kyg; (12) McCracken
County Strawberry Growers Association, Paducah, Ky.; (13) Oakland Straw-
_ berry Growers Association, Oakland, Ky.; and (14) Trimble County Growers
Association, Bedford, Ky. Of these markets 10 are cooperatives and 4 are
independents. Nine of these local nqarkets provided for the sale of fresh
' market berries only. Five of the markets, (2), *6), (9), (11), and (12), pro-
vided for the sale of processing berries in addition to fresh market berries.
Approximately 30, OOO, l6— quart crates (includes 24~quart sales con-
vertedto a 16—quart equivalent) we re sold through these markets as fresh
berries in 1959. The grades for the berries by percentages were as follows:
79 percent U. S. No. 1, 18 percert U. S. No. ll, and 3 percent Unclassified.
A11 marketing costs and cost of crates were accounted for to give the
I grower a take--Jhorrie price for fresh ber ries. The average take -home price
for berries sold in loequart crates was $3. 53 with a range of $1. 87 to $4. 97
° for local markets within the stater Tle aver age take»·horne price for berries
e sold in 24 ·quart crates was $4. 95 with a range of $3. 42 to $5. 91 for local
markets within the state. Table I shows a breakdown by crate size and grades
for strawberry marketingin 1959 ·
The marketing cost at the local assenibly market level for l6—quart
crates averaged 27..4 cents per crate with a range of 12. 2 cents to 59. O cents
per crate for local markets within. the state The average local assembly
marketing cost for 24aquart crates was 53, 3 cents per crate with a range of
P 14.. 6 cents to 89. 7 cents for local rnarkets withir tle stater
UNlVERSlTY OF KENTUCKY
AGRJCULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
Lexington

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The strawberry industry in Kentucky has made a decided shift from the
use of the 24—quart crate to the use of the 16··qua-t crate as a shipping container.
ln 1956, 10 percent of the berries for the fresh market were packed in l6»·quart
crates, while in 1959, 90 percent of the berries for the fresh market were
packedin l6·quart crates.
Processing outlets used by Kentucky farmers in 1959 were: (1) Abbott
Processors, Bedford, Ky.; (2) Bryer lce Cream Company, Celina and
I Livingston, Tenn.; (3) Colonial Frozen Foods, Franklin, Ky.; (4) Cumberland
Frozen Foods, London, Ky.; and (5) Frost King Foods, Paducah, Ky. These
V _ plants bouglutberries direct from the farmers at their plants. ln addition,
” some of them maintained assembly or pickup points in outlying areas, and
others bought from those fresh markets that handled processing berries.
Kentucky strawberries that went to these processing plants amounted to
1,374,000 pounds in 1959. The average take-(home price was 13. 7 cents per
, pound, with a range of ll. 2 cents to 14. 5 cents for individual markets. The
handling cost for processing berries averaged about one cent a pound. When
this price was converted to a 16—·quart crate (fresh equivalent), a $2.. 74 per
crate take~·home price was noted.
Kentucky farmers are tending to show a preference for the processing
market as an outlet for their berries. Of the various volumes handled by the
formal markets used by Kentucky farmers, 34 percent went to the processing
market in 1957, 60 percent in 1958, and 70 percent in 1959. Probably the
influencing factor has been that farmers receive their money for processing
berries the same day of delivery or at least by the following day. This has
enabled the farmer to meet his out·-of—·pocket harvesting cost.
However, local markets handling fresh berries are getting away from
the old practice of paying farmers at the end of the season and are working
toward a cash market. Some of the local markets are selling their berries
to buyers at the shed, and they are paying their farmers by the following day.
Others are advancing money to the farmers to take care of out—of-pocket
picking expenses, and some of the markets are providing crates on a credit
basis to the farmers. Where these practices are carried out, farmers should
consider the fresh market along with the processing market as an outlet for their
berries. Table I1 shows a summary of strawberry marketing in Kentucky for
the years 1957459 with a comparison between fresh market sales and processing
market sales. The figures indicate a higher return to the farmer from fresh
market sales than from processing market sales
Within the past year more emphasis has been placed on contracts between
the assembly market and the producer in the strawberry industry in Kentucky,
with the idea that strawberry units ought to be larger in terms of acres and that
acreage ought to be more concentrated in an area. This type of arrangement
has merit in that more supervision can be had during the life of a strawbe r ry

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plot, the use of special machinery on a custom basis can be justified, labor
crews can be better utilized at harvesting time, and a nucleus for the planning
and operation of the local assembly. market can be attained.
The most recent year for high strawberry prices in Kentucky was 1954.
This price incentive caused farmers to increase strawberry settings, and by
1956 Kentucky had 6, 200 harvested acres, the greatest number of harvested
acres since 1940. Much of this increased acreage was in areas and grown by
farmers who had little or no experience in commercial strawberry production.
I Prices for strawberries began to drop in 1955 and reached a low point in 1957.
V These farmers felt there was no money in strawberries, and they made fewer
new settings and neglected cultivation and spray programs for their established
A patches. Acreage in Kentucky has steadily dropped since 1956 to an indicated
1, 700 harvested acres in 1960.
Prices for strawberries have been increasing since 1957. New straw-
berry acreage since 1956 has been less than old acreage that was abondoned.
lndications are that new settings in 1960 will be large enough to begin offsetting
the latest downward trend in strawberry acreage.
The volume of strawberries handled by the formal outlets serving Kentucky
farmers showed a 5 percent decrease from 1957 to 1958. A volume decrease of
_ 70 percent was noted from 1958 to 1959. The decrease in volume has lessened
the need for the number of assembly markets and has caused arrangements to
be made among some of the assembly markets for marketing their berries.
There were 18 local assembly markets in 1957, 17 local assembly markets in . "
1958, and 14 local assembly markets in 1959. One of the 14 local assembly
markets in 1959 operated only four days. Lack of volume caused it to close.
ln two cases, two markets located close by shipped and sold their berries
together. ln another area, three markets shipped and sold their berries ·
A together., 4
1. 5M-~—3~60