_ 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