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Abstract
The market egg industry has changed considerably since World War II. The small producer has given way to large, integrated complexes, and the Midwest has given way to new centers of production in the South and West. This report describes the present characteristics of the market egg industry in the United States. It discusses the changes in location of production since the mid-1950's, in marketing channels, and in the number, unit sizes, and practices of producers, assembler-packers, feed suppliers, and hatcheries. The role of production density, spatial costs, operating efficiency, integration and coordination, and alternative uses for employing economic resources are evaluated in relation to locational and structural changes in the market egg industry. Explanation for the changes in the industry lies among several factors, including: efficiency of operations; egg quality; input prices; returns from alternative industries; availability of capital and credit; and established related industries.