What Do Consumers Value in Their Beef?

What Do Consumers Value in Their Beef?

Haylie Shipp
Haylie Shipp
With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

As a livestock producer, you likely have a lot of ideas about what works for you. But, at the end of the day, what is the consumer asking for?

With a finger on that pulse, Nebraska Extension livestock marketing and risk management specialist Elliot Dennis…

“We want to make sure that we’re raising cattle that have attributes that consumers are willing to pay for at the market. And when we talk about that, we’re talking mainly about taste and freshness. And a lot of that has to deal with our marbling and the genetics. And so always keeping that in mind. Even though there’s a lot of these concerns about environment and animal welfare, when people actually value it, they actually value convenience of going to the store 4 times as more important than the environmental impact or the animal welfare.”

He says that inflation is hitting everyone and that what they can pay will affect beef consumption…

“Really starting in June, we started to see people really starting to change their spending packets from buying smaller packets to buying fewer items and even a little bit of switching between products. So, when we talk about potential pitfalls for the beef market going forward, I think that inflation/consumer income that they have to purchase beef is really going to be the largest factor.”

Again livestock marketing and risk management specialist Elliot Dennis.

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