1st Edition

The Public Role In The Dairy Economy Why And How Governments Intervene In The Milk Business

By Alden C Manchester Copyright 1983
    324 Pages
    by CRC Press

    344 Pages
    by CRC Press

    All over the world, governments play a part in the milk business for compelling economic reasons and not, as many assert, just because dairy farmers are numerous and organized. This book examines the role of federal, state, and local governments in the dairy economy of the United States, where major public involvement in industry began during the Great Depression. Dr. Manchester considers the conditions in the 1930s that led to government involvement, the changes that have occurred in the industry and the public role since then, and the prospects for the 1980s and beyond. He also analyzes possible alternative public dairy policies for the present and the rest of the decade. Many things have changed, points out Dr. Manchester, but the fundamental conditions that led to public involvement in the dairy industry still exist.

    Also of Interest -- Foreword -- Prologue -- Introduction -- Characteristics of the Dairy Industry -- The Dairy Industry and Public Policy Before 1933 -- Industry Structure -- Dairy Production and Marketing in the Early Thirties -- Changes in Production and Assembly -- Changes in Processing -- Changes in Marketing and Consumption -- Institutions Affecting Price Formation -- The Concept of Orderly Marketing -- Public Programs During the Depression -- Changes in the Public Role—World War II and Beyond -- Evaluation and Prospect -- Changes in Market Organization and Power -- Performance in the Dairy Economy -- The Dairy Industry Today -- Policy Alternatives for the Eighties -- Conclusions: Considerations for a Prudent Policymaker

    Biography

    Dr. Manchester is senior economist, National Economics Division, Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was in charge of dairy marketing research in the USDA from 1961 through 1973. His other publications include Organization and Competition in the Midwest Dairy Industries (1970), dairy Price Policy: Setting, Problems, Alternatives (1978), and Market Structure, Institutions, and Performance in the Fluid Milk Industry (1974).