Private label products have been studied extensively and theoretical frameworks were developed to show private label products lend their retailers bargaining power over factory brands. Because of unobservable factory or wholesale prices empirical evidence has been lacking. This paper, using an...

Our recent meeting provided a factual basis for analysis of alternative milk policies. We analyzed the cost of production on farms, in processing, and in retailing. We collected and analyzed prices at the retail, wholesale, and farm level. This exercise gave us a rare glimpse into the...

When a competitor buys another competitor in a local food market, prices may increase because there is less competition. The antitrust laws are designed to prevent mergers that most likely will result in higher prices. Economists do three things to help legal authorities determine whether a...

With the help of four University of Connecticut graduate students, two weeks ago I surveyed milk prices in 195 grocery stores in southern New England and neighboring parts of New York. The average price for milk in Providence supermarkets was $3.03 a gallon (the average prices for the major...

Dairy farming continues to be a major agricultural activity in the state of Connecticut. Although the number of dairy farms in the state has declined over the past decade, aggregate production has remained stable, and Connecticut farms have, on average, higher production than New York or Vermont...

Farmers want to know how this proposed law will benefit them. This briefing paper explains in a general fashion how the proposed law benefits farmers. Actual benefits from the law will depend critically on the detailed regulations that the Commission promulgates. Those details will include the...

In our prior papers, most notably the report dated April 23, 2002 by Cotterill, et. al. We have proposed that the retail price collar be set at 130% and that it be applied only to private label milk. In this briefing paper we will justify the setting of the retail price collar at 130% and...

The U.S. economy is enjoying the longest economic expansion in history. Inflation is at an historic low, unemployment is also low, governments at all levels are enjoying surpluses, and the top 1% of the population, or some number thereabouts, are now millionaires due to the unprecedented advance...

Using monthly IRI scanner data for January 1993 to March 1998, cereal prices declined even after adjusting for trade promotions and reduced manufacturer coupons during the public campaign in 1995 and early 1996, as well as after the industry's announced shelf price reductions in Spring 1996. The...

The basic proposition of a fair share milk pricing policy program is the following: Retail milk prices during the low phase of the raw milk price cycle and possibly during the entire raw milk price cycle are high relative to raw milk prices. The large marketing spread is not due to excessive...