John R. Brooker

CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR LOCAL VERSUS OUT-OF-STATE GROWN SELECTED FRESH PRODUCE: THE CASE OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

Consumer behavior with respect to purchase regularity, satisfaction, origin, and willingness to pay for selected local versus non-Tennessee grown fresh produce is examined. Except for origin, consumer behavior with respect to the above is affected by income, of respondent, college education, and occupation. The pattern of significant variables changed by commodity. Tomatoes, followed by peaches, had the greatest local market potential. Local promotion of other products may be more difficult. Results suggested consumers have no strong preferences for or against locally grown fresh produce. The prices of locally grown commodities in Knoxville should be less than or equal to those of comparable quality non-Tennessee commodities.

HOUSEHOLD NUTRIENT DEMAND: USE OF CHARACTERISTICS THEORY AND A COMMON ATTRIBUTE MODEL

A characteristics model, which assumes goods generate a common set of attributes but no unique attribute, is described. The model yielded two equations which were estimated. One was a set of hedonic price equations in which the price paid for each food purchased was a function of imputed attribute prices. This set of equations was estimated at the household level. Nutrient demand equations were estimated across households. Imputed prices, income, and household characteristics including location, size, education, age distribution, and race affected nutrient demand levels.

RELATIVE PROFITABILITY OF VINE-RIPE TOMATOES IN NORTH CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE

The ability of a farmer or group of farmers in a region to produce a specific product profitably depends on the structure of costs of production and marketing and demands of all competing crops. The final decision to grow a particular product is made on the basis of its profitability relative to profitabilities of other alternatives. Relative profitability of a product changes as technological innovations affect yields, resource requirements and production efficiency. Factors affecting demand for resource inputs and products cause changes in profitabilities. Institutional factors can also necessitate adjustments in farm plans by influencing price and/or production of specific products and thereby affecting the profitability of one product relative to other product alternatives.

Transactions methods among US wholesale nurseries

Change of product ownership in competitive agricultural industries is a critical event, yet little research has examined the transaction methods used by firms and the corresponding factors that influence the choice of transaction method. A sample of landscape plant nurseries across the United States provided data to model this decision. Transaction methods included sales by telephone, personal visits, mail order, and at trade shows. In addition, factors that influenced negotiated sales were investigated. Influential factors included age of the business, size (as measured by gross sales), location, market channel use, ownership structure, and perspective on competitive situation. Using a tobit estimation procedure, profiles of nursery firms more likely to use a particular transaction method were developed.

Household demand for food attributes

Characteristics theory assumes consumers derive utility from the properties of products consumers purchase in the marketplace. These properties are called characteristics, or attributes. Existing models distinguish between common and unique attributes. Common attributes are acquired from more than one product, whereas a unique attribute is acquired from a single product. Each product in these models generates both common attributes and a unique characteristic. This distinction can be a limitation when examining categories of products that only produce a common set of characteristics such as occurs with food.