Stan Ernst, Extension Program Leader/Marketing InstructorResearch: Niche & Direct Food MarketingThis area of work includes a number of projects related to niche food markets and direct food marketing -- market channel choices, consumer preferences, management. As projects have reportable results, they'll be placed here:2009 Survey of Community Supported Agriculture Producers. A summary of a mail survey of farms operating forms of Community Supported Agriculture in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. (Woods, Ernst, Ernst, Wright, July 2009) Full Report here. See Poster from 2009 FDRS meeting here. Ohio Direct Marketers Survey. study results coming soon. Ohio Farmers Market Managers Survey. In progress. Preserving America’s Heritage Livestock Breeds: Using Marketing to Maintain Genetically Viable Production Livestock Populations. Populations of Heritage breeds of livestock are declining across the U.S., reducing valuable genetic diversity. These breeds are typically less efficient to produce, so maintaining viable populations in a commercial market may not be economically feasible. We determined the size of populations needed to ensure genetic diversity and conducted an experiment to se if consumers would pay premiums to preserve a Heritage breed, and what other product characteristics influenced their pork purchases. (Sanders, Ernst, Ernst, 2007) Full Honors Thesis here. |