Harvesting, Storing, and Packing Apples for the Fresh Market: Regional Practices and Costs

Joseph C. Podany, Robert W. Bohall and Joan Pearrow

No 313759, Marketing Research Reports from United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Transportation and Marketing Program

Abstract: Methods of procurement, operating costs, and marketing practices of 232 firms packing fresh apples in the 1969/70 season are delineated for five major production regions. Most apples came from the firms' own acreage or were handled on a consignment basis. Harvesting costs per bushel--including costs of picking and hauling the apples to the packing shed or to storage--ranged from 34 cents in the Northwest to 44 cents in the Northeast. Regular atmosphere and controlled atmosphere storage charges were lowest in California and the Lake States and highest in the Northwest. Packing costs--including labor, container, selling, and overhead costs--ranged from 94 cents for bulk cartons in the Lake States to $1.58 per tray-pack carton in the Northwest. Sales direct to chainstores were the most common, accounting for 35 percent of total sales of all firms. Sales to wholesale terminal firms accounted for 21 percent of total sales, and sales to chainstores through brokers, for 19 percent. The most common term of sale was f.o.b. shipping point, especially in the Northwest.

Keywords: Consumer/Household Economics; Labor and Human Capital; Marketing; Production Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 62
Date: 1973-09
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uamsmr:313759

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.313759

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