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Adoption of management practices and breed types by US grass-fed beef producers1

https://doi.org/10.15232/pas.2018-01711Get rights and content

ABSTRACT

Using data from a 2013 survey, adoption rates of 14 farm operations and management practices, as well as frequencies of breed types adopted by US grass-fed beef producers, are provided. The management practices are classified into 3 broad groups or categories: general management (access to shade during summer, castration, animal identification system, vaccination, deworming, and insect control), reproductive (defined breeding season, breeding records, pregnancy checking, bull test, and AI), and technological or informational (searching the internet for grass-fed beef information, keeping individual animal records, and testing the quality of forage). Multivariate probit and joint Poisson models were used to analyze determinants of adoption of the management practices. A summary of breeds used by producers is provided. Results indicate that larger-scale producers who were involved in the cow-calf segment and sold grass-fed beef as meat were the more likely adopters of most of the management practices. The Angus breed and Angus crosses were the most heavily used animals. The results provide insight for research and extension personnel in determining the predominant structure of grass-fed beef farms and the practices used and, hence, in developing research and educational programs to further assist the grass-fed beef segment.

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INTRODUCTION

United States grass-fed beef (GFB) production has increased over the past decade as producers have responded to increased consumer demand for GFB products. This increased demand is part of a larger shift in demand toward animal products for which the animals were raised on local farms under production practices that are perceived to be more animal-welfare and environmentally friendly. Health benefits associated with GFB relative to conventional beef have also been marketed (McCluskey et al.,

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from a 2013 mail survey of US GFB producers were used for this study. Names and addresses of GFB producers were obtained via an extensive search of the internet through sites such as www.eatwild.com, MarketMaker, and individual farm websites. This was considered to be a reasonable way to generate a representative sample of GFB producers because many GFB producers market a differentiated, consumer-ready product. A total of 1,052 US GFB producers and their addresses were identified. Using

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1 presents adoption rates of the 14 management practices, by region. Note that for the reproduction practices, only those producers who bred cows to produce calves answered those questions, so the percentages are on the basis of those producers who could have realistically used the technology or management practice. Access to shade during the summer, castration, and internet search for GFB information were the most heavily adopted management practices, each with more than 80% adoption for

IMPLICATIONS

Grass-fed beef production systems differ in many ways from what is now considered a conventional beef production system in the United States. Conventional production is much more segmented, with cow-calf producers, some separate stocker operations, and feedlots that are often far away from the other segments. Cow-calf producers, those who sell GFB meat, those who have family labor available, and those with college degrees tend to be the greater adopters of most management practices. On the

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported in part by the intramural research program of the USDA, Economic Research Service. The authors acknowledge funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (2011-67023-30098) and USDA Hatch funds (LAB 4178).

LITERATURE CITED (19)

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

1

The findings and conclusions in this preliminary publication have not been formally disseminated by the USDA and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.

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