Chicago Butter and Egg Board

Roots of the Chicago Butter and Egg Board are traceable to the 19th century.

The butter and egg markets died out in the 1960s after the production of both commodities had become much less seasonal, which reduced both the price volatility and the need for inter-temporal signals for guiding the disposal of inventories.

[2] The United States was experiencing significant population growth in the late 19th century, but periods of food scarcity continued.

Markets were not yet well organized, refrigeration had not been invented and production was still governed by seasonal cycles.

Time contracts were only a small part of the Board's activity and early attempts to implement margin rules were controversial.