Marketing Farm Produce by Parcel Post

1930

Farmers Bulletin Number 1551

National Agricultural Library

PRODUCER AND CONSUMER will find in this bulletin information as to possibilities of marketing farm products by parcel post. Parcel-post shipments of farm products have been slowly increasing in number since the establishment of parcel-post service, though they will always constitute but a small percentage of all farm products that go to market. Proper attention must be given to parcel-post requirements and containers, to methods of standardizing the products, to packing, and to the business phases involved. Dealing by parcel post succeeds if farmers pay proper attention to these things — always supposing that the consumer also observes good business methods from his end. Marketing by parcel post, within its limitations, is a useful means of marketing.

Although interest in parcel-post marketing is not as keen or articulate as it was when the subject was new, the demand for information on its possibilities continues. Produce sent direct to consumer will always constitute a comparatively small percentage of the total food supply because of the geographic distribution of production and the economy of carload transportation. Physically, the transportation by parcel post of nearly all kinds of farm products is a possibility, but economically it is not always justifiable. Marketing by parcel post or by any other means of transportation direct from producer to consumer is satisfactory only when the proper conditions exist.

U.S. Department of Agriculture