| The U.S. live hog production has undergone a significant structural change characterized by a trend toward larger operations. Experts argue that there is a cost advantage for larger farms due to industrialization and increased management intensity. One important element in production, mainly for industries with rapid consolidation, is technical efficiency which affects the firm's competitive position directly. This study uses a stochastic production frontier function and farm-level data to measure and explain technical efficiency in Missouri hog production. The study estimates the mean technical efficiency for farms in the sample at about 82 percent, implying that a large proportion of production (18%) is lost due to farm-specific inefficiencies. Further,... |
