Online from publication. 3 pages., Executives for three global produce marketers report on the role of social media in reaching parents with children at home.
9 pages, The study examined the effect of marketing intermediaries on onion prices in Benue state, Nigeria. A multistage sampling method was employed to select 150 onion sellers in the study area. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to respondents. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, marketing efficiency and Gini coefficient. The study revealed that the majority (66.7%) of the respondents were female, 46.7% were married with an average age of 38 and an average income of ₦96684.00. The result also showed e marketing efficiency of 5.19 indicating that the product was efficient in the study area and Gini coefficient of 0.29 indicating that onion marketing is perfectly competitive. Transportation and storage facilities constituted the greatest challenge faced by onion sellers in the study area. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that the sellers should form cooperatives to promote bulk purchase which will, in turn, reduce transportation charges as well as enable them to achieve the benefits from economies of scale.
10 pages, By-products like sawdust and straw are applied in compost bedded-pack barns (CBP) for cattle. These materials, which are gradually mixed with excreta and undergo a composting process, serve as a lying bed for the cattle. This study aims to assess the perception of consumers and farmers regarding the use of CBP during the grazing season of cattle for raising other animals or for growing food crops. This was examined by combining surveys with consumers from eight European countries and cattle farmers, focus groups with consumers, and in-depth interviews with individual farmers who implemented alternative uses of compost. The results showed that farmers preferred the compost bedded-pack system to the cubicle system in terms of sustainability and market aspects, although the cost of the bedding material required for CBP was seen as a significant negative aspect. Around half of all consumers indicated that the compost can be used for non-edible products and 26% indicated the compost can be used for raising other animals. Furthermore, 5% of consumers felt that compost should not be used for any other purpose. There were statistically significant differences between countries; therefore, regional specificities should be taken into account when marketing products from compost in CBP barns.
27pgs, This study examines the effect of gender on marketing efficiency among maize producing households using data collected in the Dawuro zone, southern Ethiopia. Results indicate that the amount of maize assigned to the first ranked (most efficient) channel for male, female and joint decision-making households is significantly larger than that of the second, third, and fourth ranked channels, respectively. Significant results vary across gender categories at the same stage of marketing channel. Female decision-making households receive a lower producer price, as well as cover higher marketing costs and margins of middlemen, as compared to male and joint decision-makers at the same stage of the marketing channel. This study also found a limited financial ability for local institutions to establish maize storages in the study area. There is a need for an integrated agricultural marketing information system that would help female decision-making maize producers to better engage in available market opportunities.
28pgs, If you are farming to be profitable, you need to be more than a farmer. You need to be the executive director of your farm business. Moving product to a paying customer, a.k.a. marketing, is the core of that business. And we have learned that product moves based on the meanings that we associate with it. Consumers buy from farm stands, for example, because they want to support local businesses, eat fresher, or know their farmer. In other words, consumers are buying the story of your farm as much as they are buying your physical farm products. This publication helps you take control of your farm story and develop a farm brand that will connect with your customers.
3 pages, Various food programs present opportunities for marketing local food in Tennessee. Health-conscious consumers prefer the health benefits of local food over processed foods. To satisfy consumer demand, local restaurants are utilizing the services of local food vendors. Conventional grocery stores are broadening their food aisles to accommodate locally produced foods. Using data collected from an online survey of 250 producers, this research update reports on opportunities for marketing local foods in Tennessee.
17pgs, In recent years, the number of ecolabels and country-of-origin labels has grown substantially in seafood markets globally. This makes it more difficult for retailers and producers to communicate and demonstrate their differentiating claims to consumers. In addition, it has recently been suggested that there are both costs and supply chain benefits associated with labeling. This paper uses duration analysis to investigate factors that influence product longevity for salmon in grocery retailing. Product longevity influences cost as a prolonged product lifetime reduces costs related to product development and marketing. As has been found for wild-caught whitefish, different retail chains appear to vary in their product labeling strategies. However, in contrast to wild fish, farmed salmon with ecolabels or domestic country-of-origin labels appear to have shorter product life cycles compared to products without ecolabels or with foreign country-of-origin labeling. This is most likely due to the higher control of the production process found in aquaculture.
15 pages., Many U.S. state governments have programs that promote the food grown or made within their state. In this study, the websites of 41 such programs were analyzed for indicators of stewardship, a framework concerned with relationship cultivation. Several of the indicators were observed commonly, demonstrating a generally balanced use of stewardship strategies by the programs. The websites also provided a platform to grow relationships between producers and consumers. One recommendation for managers of statewide food promotion programs, or similar umbrella food brand programs, is to examine their own websites to ensure indicators of all stewardship strategies are present. Though most websites examined in this study posted mission statements, for example, not all of them did. Expressions of gratitude to multiple stakeholder groups were also lacking on many of the websites. Another recommendation for managers is to implement some of the more creative ways programs have practiced stewardship such as giving audiences opportunities to co-create content. Overall, this analysis showed that state-run food promotion programs function as public relations and agricultural communications tools.
Online from periodical. 5 pages., Article reports on promotion approaches that retailers are finding useful in marketing apples during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Via UI Library subscription., Owner-president of Brock Associates, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, describes his career, the services his firm provides, outlook for agricultural commodities, and farm policy changes anticipated with the new federal administration.
Via UI Library subscription, Invited comments from representatives of three firms that provide outsourcing services involving agri-marketing during the pandemic.
Via print subscription., Digital experience director of Osborn Barr Paramore (ABP) describes some marketing steps taken, "bringing our digital experience and experiential teams together to create new activations that work across channels." Examples included a NASCAR race experience for DEKALB at Kansas Speedway and a geodesic dome activation at Farm Progress Show 2019 for Nutrien Ag Solutions.
"Experiential marketing can be interpreted many ways, but our approach helps brands create relationships with target audiences through immersive and memorable interactions." Approach used by Osborn Barr Paramore, agri-marketing communications agency, St. Louis, Missouri.
Online from periodical. 2 pages., Report of a presentation at the West Coast Produce Expo about Amazon's new Fresh banner, with establishment of small and medium-sized grocery stores.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11809
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Online via AgriMarketing Weekly. 2 pages., Brief report of research by ADM among consumers. Findings identify "six behavioral shifts that will create opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers to gain market share in an increasingly uncertain business environment."
Via online issue. 3 pages., Summary of panel discussion at a Virtual Town Hall meeting of the Produce Marketing Association. Panelists noted how greenhouse technologies can soften the blow of climate change.
14 pages., via online journal, As online selling of products like living plants increases, it is increasingly important to understand how millennial-aged consumers perceive the purchasing experience. New-media technologies like social media, e-newsletters, and other forms of digital communication are easily adopted by millennial-aged consumers. One of these tools, 360-degree video, offers novel ways to preview products offered online and look inside local brick-and-mortar stores, which can be visited in person. Sales of horticultural goods online have been slow to be developed by industry veterans, creating ample opportunities available to new ventures. This qualitative study used a series of three focus groups to answer the research questions of RQ1: What challenges exist for garden centers attracting millennials? RQ2: What are millennials preferences for purchasing live plants online? RQ3: What aspects of digital online marketing influence millennials to make decisions? RQ4: What are millennials preferences for 360-degree video? Results of this study indicate 360-degree video is not the preferred avenue for marketing plants online to millennials, however, high-quality photos and video with educational content and the use of social media could be effective.
Online from publication. 9 pages., Advice from a fresh produce marketer with more than 30 years of experience in a supermarket chain. "The environment you want is one of being a merchant. ... It is somewhat of a lost art in today's fast paced world of data, low price and lack of labor."
7 pages, To assess small rural retailers' use of social media and the role of social media in their business sustainability, we conducted focus group interviews with small business owners/managers from rural communities in a midwestern state. Participants revealed strong interest in social media, especially for use in sales and marketing. However, their engagement in social media was limited due to lack of knowledge and resources (i.e., time, human resources, financial resources, effectiveness measurement) related to developing and updating content. On the basis of these findings, we examine implications for Extension professionals and outreach educators regarding social media needs and programming for small rural businesses.
16 pages, Social media are currently not only used for communication between individuals but an increasing number of companies use these means as simple and fast sales and communication channels. The importance of communication with consumers through social networks, such as Facebook, is essential in today's marketplace for small businesses, for which this tool is one of the cheapest alternatives to communicating and selling products. This trend did not escape agriculture-specific local farmers who process fresh local products. The study's objective is to highlight the importance of social media communication in the agri-food sector, specifically in the sub-sector of local fresh products, as well as to determine which consumers are most interested in local products from farmers communicated through Facebook. We conducted the research using our Facebook page called Ours-Yours (in Slovak Naše-Vaše). This account was created for research purposes and has a clearly defined objective of supporting and promoting local fresh products from small Slovak farmers. Research involved 42 small farms that sell fresh local dairy products. From these farmers we discovered what form of marketing communication they had used in the past. Afterwards, we visited eight selected farms, took professional photos of their products, and promoted them under one brand using our Facebook page Ours- Yours (Naše-Vaše). The methodology of the research was based on an analysis of Facebook posts, which were visualised, uniformly graphically processed photographs of the products. Contributions were advertised on radio located 50 kilometres from the farms to ensure local marketing of the products. We measured demographic factors (gender and age) and users' interaction with individual posts. Research has shown that women between the ages of 45 -- 64, who follow Facebook mostly from their mobile phones, are most interested in Facebook posts with local fresh products (and information about them)
23 pages., via online journal, Cultured meat has yet to reach store shelves but is nonetheless a growing issue for consumers, producers, and government regulators, many of whom have taken to social media to discuss it. Using a conceptual framework of social cognitive theory and issues management, this qualitative content analysis investigated social-media discourse surrounding the topic of cultured meat in the United States by describing the content of the discussion in late 2018 and identifying individual influencers and communities of influencers engaged in the discussion. Data were collected from Twitter using listening platform Sysomos MAP. The thematic analysis revealed eight themes: legality and marketing, sustainability, acceptance, business, animal concerns, science and technology, health concerns, and timeline, and indicated that conflicting views and questions about cultured meat exist among conversation participants. Top influencers included philanthropists, government officials, journalists and writers, and animal-welfare advocates. These influencers were grouped into four distinct communities based on interactions with each other and other users. The topics identified in the analysis provide insight into ways in which communicators can enter these conversations, and influencer communities represent groups of users whose broad reach could more easily transmit pro-agriculture messages.
22 pages., via online journal, Agritourism is recreational travel for agricultural activities. While it provides many benefits, such as rural development and heritage preservation, many agritourism operators express challenges in marketing their operations. Social media is increasingly common in tourism marketing, but little research exists describing current marketing practices. Quantitative content analysis was used to describe 174 Oklahoma agritourism operations’ Facebook page activity in June 2018. Original posts created by the agritourism operations and community posts created by the general public had similar amounts of public interaction. Post interactions were not related to post length, and original post interactions were also not related to overall page likes. Live videos and traditional posts received the most interaction amongst types of original posts. Facebook event posts made by the agritourism operation received more public interaction than event posts made by the general public. Agritourism operators should focus on quality over quantity of information and be wary of creating posts in an “echo chamber” as only a small proportion of a large page following interact with posts. Marketing practitioners should avoid providing one-size-fits-all advice in Facebook marketing, as there was a large variety of Facebook activity observed. Future research should more specifically describe content of posts and consider perspectives of agritourism operators and visitors towards current Facebook marketing strategies.
