Cooperative Growth and Decline: A Game Theoretic Approach to Understanding Members' Allocation Choices

In the present research, the agent's choice to leave or join a cooperative is modeled to be a function of alternative investment opportunities and choices made by other agents who are faced with an identical set of possible strategies. Once the agent has made the decision to join a cooperative, the agent may reevaluate available alternatives in each period. The result is a multi-period repeated game in which the growth or decline of a cooperative is determined.Agribusiness,

Industry Leaders' Perspectives on Communicating the Cooperative Value Package

Communication, Cooperatives, Value Package, Agribusiness, Q13, P13,

Consumer Preferences for Locally Made Specialty Food Products Across Northern New England

Does willingness to pay a premium for local specialty food products differ between consumers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont? Two food categories are investigated: low-end ($5) and high-end ($20) products. Premia estimates are compared across states and across base prices within states using dichotomous choice contingent valuation methods. Results suggest that the three states of northern New England have many similarities, including comparable price premia for the lower-priced good. However, there is some evidence that the premium for the higher-priced good is greater for the pooled Vermont and Maine treatment than for the New Hampshire treatment. Vermont and New Hampshire residents are willing to pay a higher premium for a $20 than for a$5 food item, while the evidence suggests that Maine residents are not.local specialty foods, willingness to pay, contingent valuation, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

What to Choose? The Value of Label Claims to Produce Consumers

This paper addresses three key empirical questions related to health, nutrient, and process claims on front-label packaging; namely, 1) How do consumers value alternative claims on product and process-based attributes for fresh produce; 2) Are these values additively separable; and 3) To what degree is there heterogeneity between consumers on these values? We use a hypothetical choice experiment on red leaf lettuce attribute bundles, and estimate several logit models (MNL and ML) that provide estimates of marginal utilities (and with the inclusion of varying prices, marginal values) of various attributes related to general health claims, specific nutrition and health claims, certification logos related to health and nutrition currently found in the marketplace, as well as certified organic claims (relative to the conventional reference group). The results showed that consumers do distinguish between competing claims and logos, though the impacts are not always as expected, likely due to the information set used at the time of the choice. We found some evidence of attribute bundling between the health claims and the familiar Five-a-day program logo, and between organic production and a claim regarding vitamin C content. Finally, we found that use of the unconditional distributions (relative to the conditional)in a ML model overstates the degree of preference heterogeneity across the sample and overstates the magnitude of the marginal effects of the random parameters. This may create misleading impressions regarding the existence and size of specialized niche markets, the response of consumers to varying health, nutrition, or process claims, and/or the response of consumers to the introduction of new products with these (or similar) claims.Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

Direct Marketing of Fresh Produce: Understanding Consumer Purchasing Decisions

Consumer/Household Economics, Crop Production/Industries, Marketing, Q13,

Challenges to stimulating fresh potato consumption: a summary of market research

August 2011

Buy local, buy fresh?: exploring local fresh produce consumer motivations and interests

May 2007.Originally published under series title: Agribusiness marketing report

Marketing fresh and specialty produce through cooperatives and collectives in Colorado with implications for cooperative education programming

June 2011.Includes bibliographical references

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies: Who Informs Consumers about Produce Choices and Nutrition?

Food consumption trends in the U.S. may be affected by and/or contributing to the growth in food- and nutrition-related information channels. Information channels are increasing in number, as are the sources (McCluskey & Swinnnen 2004) that provide information. This paper examines consumer perceptions of the relative desirability of various food and nutrition information sources and education methods as well as the relative credibility of various food and nutrition sources. Using data from a 2006 nationwide consumer survey, comparative summary statistics show significant differences between information delivery methods and sources that consumers use and trust. By understanding how consumers receive and value information we can better target consumer groups.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy