From Producer to Consumer: Sustainability in the U.S. Beef Industry

Abstract

Sustainability in the livestock industry has been a significant focus in recent years, specifically in areas of environmental impact and animal welfare. Research into consumer perceptions of food systems is important so the industry has more information to make production and marketing decisions. It is also important to consider the beef producers’ perspectives regarding on-farm sustainable applications and management practices. Two unique studies were conducted to evaluate perceptions and opinions on sustainable beef production. The beef producer study included an IRB approved online survey with 36 questions that was distributed to Alabama beef producers from July to November 2024. Questions probed producer opinions on the importance of resources and their views about environmental impact and sustainability, knowledge of Climate-Smart Commodities programs, implementation of certain sustainable practices, and what resources are considered necessary for their operation to adopt and/or further improve sustainability practices. A total of 105 primarily cow-calf producers from 42 of the 67 counties in Alabama had varying implementation rates (~9-90%) of practices that can increase sustainability and resource management, specifically grazing management plans, growth-promoting technologies, and animal handling and welfare training. A recurring theme was the need for further information before producers made decisions regarding investing in certain sustainable practices. Providing producers with financial information or counseling on decision making could increase the adoption of sustainability practices. Extension educators may use results from this research to guide development of financial advisory programming and sustainability resource management information for producers. The consumer study used infographics as a mode to deliver information about the beef industry. These communication devices are effective in visually informing audiences and simplifying the messages; however, there is not a large body of literature on infographic use in agricultural education. An IRB approved Qualtrics survey gathered participants’ beef purchasing and consumption habits, their subjective and objective knowledge about resource usage, and their prioritization of sustainability issues to address. Participants then rated their agreement with statements about sustainability, grass-fed and conventional cattle, and hormone use. After viewing three infographics, they were reassessed on the same questions to determine any changes in opinions or knowledge. Results showed a significant increase in self-reported knowledge (p < .001) and positive increases in opinions and agreement on statements about sustainability in the beef industry (p < .001). Those who do not eat beef had smaller but still significant increases in both metrics. Participants expressed lingering doubt about the hormone information and the possible over- or underinflation of statistics represented. Further research could include more specific infographics focusing on fewer topics to decrease information load and integrating more interactive elements into the infographics themselves to increase participation and interaction. Overall, results from these studies provide more insight into the beef producer and consumer opinions on sustainability and data to encourage further communication and research initiatives to bridge the knowledge gap between these two segments in the beef industry.