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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., Reprinted from the Marketing and Transportation Situation, August 1975

Charges for marketing food products that originated on U.S. farms rose substantially more in 1970 than in any year during the 1960's. The spread between the retail cost and farm value of a market basket of farm foods rose 7 percent last year, compared with 1.9 percent for 1969 and 2.6 percent for 1968. Although marketing spreads for practically all products widened in 1970, major attention centered on pork and beef, which rose 20 percent and 9 percent, respectively. The marketing bill--total charges for transporting, processing, and distributing farm foods--totaled almost $69 billion in 1970, 8 percent greater than in 1969. This increase was almost double the average increase during the past decade, due chiefly to higher labor costs. Marketing charges accounted for two-thirds of the $102 billion spent by consumers for farm foods last year. The remaining third represented the payment or gross return that farmers received for farm food products., Statement Prepared for Hearings Before the Agriculture Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-Second Congress, First Session.