FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE PRICES PRODUCERS RECEIVE FOR HOGS: STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF KILLSHEET AND SURVEY DATA

This paper evaluates the results of a survey of Iowa pork producers, examining potential price discrimination by packers. Prices varied greatly across producers, and the examined variables explain just over half of the variation. Factors under the producer's control were the most significant variables and accounted for the vast majority of the explainable difference in price among producers. Packer buying systems also accounted for some difference in producer prices. Finally, variables related to operation size, while statistically significant, increased the explanatory values of the equation very little