Assessing beef producers’ interest in cooperative business models in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the characteristics of northern New England producers and their willingness to participate in cooperative marketing (CM) or cooperative processing (CoP) of beef cattle. Materials and Methods: A survey was conducted with producers in the region. Pearson correlation coeffi- cients were used to evaluate whether producers were will- ing to participate in CM or CoP. Two multiple regression models were created using variance inflation procedures and backward elimination to predict whether producers were likely to participate in CM and CoP. Results and Discussion: A total of 174 surveys were returned and 161 were usable for analysis. Producers in- terested in CoP were likely also to be interested in CM, but producers with an established business were not in- terested in CoP. Producers interested in mobile slaughter units and access to CoP were interested in participating in CoP than their counterparts. The regression model pre- dicted those less interested in CM were producers who had hired labor and concerns about regulations. The regres- sion model for CoP indicated that producers who reported more consistent herd sizes (number of cattle processed) were less likely to participate, whereas those interested in CM were more likely to participate. Implications and Applications: New and smaller producers may be more likely to participate in CM or CoP than larger, more established producers in northern New England. Our analysis helps identify the characteristics of northern New England beef producers interested in form- ing cooperative businesses. This research approach could be used in other areas to determine the characteristics of beef producers interested in CM and processing.