Determining South African consumers' willingness to pay for certified Karoo lamb : an application of an experimental auction

Changes in the features of food demand and consumption have moved from the mass consumption model towards an increasing qualitative differentiation of products and demand. This movement towards addressing consumers’ demand for food products with more advanced quality attributes has led to increasingly complex food qualification processes and a proliferation of standards. Accompanying these changes in the agro-food system is a growing consumer concern for food safety and quality. One important attribute of “quality” is the origin of a food product. This paper focuses on lamb originating from the Karoo region of South Africa and tests consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for this specific origin attribute of the product. A random nth price auction was conducted to obtain willingness to pay estimates for a premium on a 500g packet of certified Karoo lamb loin chops. Various demographic and behavioural variables were linked to participants’ individual bids in order to determine the possible influence of these variables on participants’ bidding behaviour. A general positive willingness to pay for certified Karoo lamb was observed, with an average premium of R21.80/ kg recorded for loin chops. The impact of additional information was clearly visible as bids increased substantially after additional information regarding the product was introduced.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ragr20hb201

New York Economic Handbook 1971: Agricultural Situation and Outlook

U.S.D.A. Agriculture Handbook No. 397 entitled "1970 Handbook of Agricultural Charts" provides current reference material pertaining to the nation's agricultural situation. This handbook is used by many, agriculturalists throughout the United States. Cornell A.E. Ext. 571 entitled "New York Economic Handbook 1971" is a companion reference for the U.S.D.A. Handbook. Economic information pertaining to New York agriculture and to the general economic situation and outlook has been compiled in this publication. It is prepared primarily for the use of professional agricultural workers in New York State. The first part of this Economic Handbook deals with general topics and the balance cover the commodities. For ease in location material, different colors are used for each section. "Current Economic Situation" is a two-page monthly release which carries the latest figures for selected economic indicators and highlights of current developments. This release is essentially a supplement to the Economic· Handbook, It is available to anyone who requests to be on the mailing list