While a number of U.S. agricultural industries have implemented a region of production (ROP) certification, little research has focused on ROP valuation associated with both whole and processed forms of a food product. Understanding consumer preferences toward certified products sold in multiple forms is critical to the success of a new certification program in an industry that sells products at multiple levels of processing. This study examines preferences for a possible ROP-certified vegetable across two product forms: fresh and processed. Discrete choice analysis was conducted using data collected from an online panel survey of 553 U.S. food consumers. A chile pepper product's ROP was deemed important by participants, although the ROP certifier appears to matter less than other potential certifications (e.g., safety, quality). Differences in the importance of ROP between product forms suggest a single certification can have disparate effects on consumer preferences for different forms of a ROP-certified vegetable.

Developing an effective agriculture and life sciences (ALS) liaison program at a land grant institution can be challenging, as the liaison serves a wide variety of stakeholders with research, teaching, and Extension goals. New liaisons seeking to identify effective ways to support the land grant mission may desire guidance to select priority service areas. This article reviews ALS information user needs, as articulated by the users and their literature, to shed light on what they deem important. Services new ALS liaisons can consider to meet these needs within the 21st century land grant environment are then identified.

This research provides novel information on dog food attributes that influence a dog owner’s food purchase decision, examining preferences as they relate to natural and organic ingredients using a discrete choice experiment. A total of 661 U.S. dog owners were surveyed. Results suggest respondents prefer dog food made with natural ingredients to dog foods made with conventional or organic ingredients. Although price was the most important attribute, ingredient source (e.g. natural, 75/25% organic/non-organic or 100/0% organic/non-organic) was more important than the other dog food attributes studied (package size, product recommendation, and product formula). The product combination that provided the highest level of survey respondent satisfaction was a 5-pound package of natural dog food that came recommended by a veterinarian and used an age and size-specific formula.

The U.S. pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) industry is important to the country in both economic and cultural terms. Although the industry has expanded its export markets considerably, domestic pecan consumption has remained relatively flat. Expanding a domestic market is an important risk management strategy. To diversify, industry stakeholders may need to focus effort on growing domestic demand for pecans and pecan products, yet relatively little is known about U.S. pecan consumers because the majority of available information is garnered from supply side (production) data. This study used a web-based panel survey of 1009 U.S. food consumers to explore the demographics of pecan consumers, gauge their current tree nut nutrition knowledge, and examine the preferences surrounding their pecan purchases. Almost three-quarters (74%) of survey respondents consume pecans; demographic differences were observed between respondents who consume pecans and those who do not. Respondents’ knowledge of general and tree nut nutrition concepts varied. Respondents most frequently purchase pecans from a grocery store, buy them shelled as a raw ingredient for baking/cooking, and consume pecans four to six times per year.

Little data are publicly available about U.S. spicy pepper ( Capsicum sp.) consumers and their type-specific preferences. This research adds to the body of knowledge surrounding the demand side of the U.S. spicy pepper market by providing exploratory data to examine U.S. consumer preferences as they relate to seven common spicy pepper types: cayenne ( Capsicum annuum ), habañero ( Capsicum chinense ), jalapeño ( C. annuum ), New Mexico-type long green and red ( C. annuum ), paprika ( C. annuum ), poblano/ancho ( C. annuum ), and serrano ( C. annuum ) peppers. Data were collected using an online panel survey of 1104 consumers. Results suggest that jalapeño peppers were the most popular fresh spicy pepper purchased by participating food consumers. Paprika powder, a relatively mild spicy pepper product, was the most widely-consumed dried or ground pepper of the seven studied. Women appear more likely to be non-likers of spicy foods than men ( P ≤ 0.05). Responses of this survey group suggest that many consumers enjoy spicy peppers and that consumption varies by pepper type. Finally, the most popular pepper types do not necessarily appear to be the “hottest” or “mildest” of those available in the market.

Continuing economic development in Jordan provides potential food marketing opportunities as a new group of prospective value-added food product consumers emerges. The growing demand for high-value foods such as organically produced items also provides a new potential value-added market for Jordanian farmers. No studies to our knowledge have examined consumer preferences toward organic food items within Jordan. This study provides an initial attempt to fill this knowledge gap by examining the market for organic food items from a demand perspective in order to increase the knowledge available to Jordanian farmers, food processors, and retailers.

The opportunity to interact with animals is a potentially unique opportunity offered at the fair. Unfortunately, animals carry inherent risks that offer challenges for fair managers. By better understanding consumer preferences for specific fair attributes (e.g., opportunities with animals), fair managers can work to design a more appealing fair. This study explored respondents' preferences toward fairs using a discrete choice experiment. Results suggest that including or improving fair amenities (opportunities with animals, amusement rides and related activities, cultural exhibits, and entertainment shows) positively influenced respondent utility, while increased admission cost and travel time negatively influenced respondent utility.

Campfire bans are common in national forests, especially during conditions of high fire danger as managers seek to minimize the potential for wildfire, yet the importance of campfire availability to the camping decision process is less understood. A stated preference approach via an online panel survey was used to examine campsite preferences of recent national forest visitors residing in the western United States. The importance of a campfire relative to five other developed campsite attributes (campground host presence, campsite cost, availability of picnic tables, restroom facilities, and recreational vehicle (RV) hookups at the campsite) is examined. While all six site-specific attributes had a significant impact on consumer utility (P < 0.01), a campfire was the most important of the six site attributes. Overall, respondents valued a campfire as part of their campsite decision process. This offers a challenge for national forest managers, who must carefully balance the conflicting objectives of forest health and public use concerns.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by US consumers has grown in recent years. CAM therapies often utilize medicinal herbs as part of the treatment process; however, research on US practitioner preferences for medicinal herbs is limited, despite growing concern surrounding the sustainability of wild-harvested medicinal herbs. In order better to understand consumer preferences for this emerging market, a mail survey of US practitioners (licensed acupuncturists) was conducted to examine the importance of five herb attributes in practitioners’ herb selection decisions: (1) country of origin, (2) freshness, (3) production method (organic versus conventional), (4) price, and (5) traceability. The significance of these five traits is investigated using discrete choice analysis, and the implications for US medicinal herb growers are discussed.