The Bill for Marketing Farm-Food Products

The marketing bill—an estimate of all costs and profits incurred in transporting, processing, and distributing farm-food products—totaled $92.0 billion in 1974, up 12 percent over 1973. This was double the average increase of the past 10 years. Among major cost components, labor accounted for half of the bill; packaging materials, 12 percent; and transportation, 7 percent. Corporate firms derived $5.3 billion in before-tax profits from marketing farm foods in 1974, almost 6 percent of the bill. Marketing costs and profits of processors were $30.6 billion, a third of the total marketing bill. Costs and profits of other agencies included $26.7 billion for retailing, $20.8 billion for eating places, and $13.9 billion for wholesalers. Consumer expenditures for farm food products rose 12 percent to $147.5 billion in 1974. Farmers received $55.5 billion for farm-foods products, 11 percent more than in 1973.