BQA Certification Opportunity Study January 2014

Transcription

1 BQA Certification Opportunity Study January 2014

2 Methodology Telephone interviews with 603 randomly selected cow calf producers Additional interviewing of 93 BQA certified producers to raise that segment s sample size to 150 Sample stratified, weighted by region using 2007 Ag Census Computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted between November 13 and December 6, 2013 Oversample of BQA certified producers lasted until December 30 Statistical margin of error ± 4.0 % points overall, ± 8.0 % points among BQA certified producers Study conducted by Aspen Media & Market Research, Boulder, Colorado 2

3 Survey Objectives Awareness of, familiarity with BQA program Perceptions toward BQA guidelines and programs Influence of, participation in BQA program Value of BQA program to participants Obstacles to BQA participation Methods to inform producers about BQA programs Demographic profile of BQA certified and non-certified producers 3

4 Awareness of, familiarity with BQA program Overall BQA awareness is moderate, at 41% Name awareness is higher than actual familiarity. Only one in four say they are somewhat or very familiar with what the program does Perceptions toward BQA guidelines and programs In theory, about nine in ten commercial cow calf producers say that following BQA-type guidelines is important. About two-thirds think it is very important Key reasons for following common beef quality assurance guidelines are better beef quality (30%) or enhanced consumer confidence in beef (18%) A large proportion (87%) of those familiar with BQA believe it adds value to their operation There are many reasons that might motivate producers to become BQA certified. The key ones include seeing ROI from it, enhanced image of beef among consumers, increased consumer confidence, or a premium being paid for BQA-certified cattle 4

5 Influence of, participation in BQA program Relatively few producers have taken BQA training (11%); if they did, it usually led to certification (8%) The BQA footprint is low. Only 3% of producers indicated that someone else in their operation is BQA certified or follows these guidelines The most popular way of taking BQA training has been online (45%), followed by extension agencies (20%) or state cattlemen s event (18%) Value of BQA program to participants Nearly everyone (97%) who has taken BQA training finds it to be of value. Only 10% said something about the training was not helpful. Producers who took the training generally mention many things about it that were important. The most important was information or procedures about vaccinations (26%). 5

6 Obstacles to BQA participation Vast majority (78%) of those taking training did not offer suggestions. For those that did, none stood out The producers who did not take the BQA training cited being too busy (32%) or they thought it had never been offered (15%) Among those who took the BQA training, the primary reasons for not becoming certified are no need (37%) or being too busy (21%) Producers familiar with BQA programs are hard pressed to identify specific obstacles to more BQA certifications (39% unsure); most mentioned is being too busy (22%) Methods to inform producers about BQA programs Producers who are familiar with BQA programs would like to remain informed through printed materials (52%), extension services (37%), cattle associations/organization meetings (29%), or agricultural TV programs (35%) 6

7 Demographic profile of BQA certified and non-certified producers Certified producers are more likely to have larger commercial cow calf herds (100+ head: 46% vs. 18%) Those who are certified are more likely than non-certified producers to belong to organizations including state cattlemen s associations (41% vs. 18%), NCBA (21% vs. 7%), local/county cattlemen s associations (23% vs. 7%), or breed associations (15% vs. 5%) BQA certified producers are relatively younger, more likely to be under 55 (41% vs. 12%) 7