Producers of Texas Alternative Agriculture: A Brief Study of Beliefs

In recent years, consumers have become increasingly concerned about how food is produced that parallels the increase of smaller farms with particular production methods, which is termed alternative production.  The survey presented questions about aspects of alternative and conventional agricultural production in an attempt to better understand the Texas producer.  The objectives of this research were to determine how producer beliefs affect production and marketing choices and what challenges are present regarding marketing.  A Google Form based survey directed towards Texas agricultural producers was emailed directly to approximately 250 individuals who have elected to receive such emails and through an email newsletter managed by the Texas Department of Agriculture which is sent to approximately 20,000 residents.  Google Forms present the data in aggregate form in a spread sheet without personal identification information.  The survey was open from 5 Nov. 2015 through 8 Feb. 2016.  The majority of the producers who participated in this survey were those that either currently employed alternative production methods, or those who were interested in switching to alternative in the future.  The participants were concentrated in central Texas but spread into north, south, east, and panhandle Texas.  There were no participants from west Texas.  The participants tended to be older, well-educated men and women with smaller agricultural operations which bring in $20,000 in income or less.  Beliefs regarding perceived health, safety, environmental health, and sustainability were split approximately 40% local, 40% organic, and 20% other production labels.  Operations were 29.8% crop only production, 28.1% livestock only production, and 42% diversified production.  Most were interested in eventually adopting labels that indicate production method or who produced it.  Evidence suggests that the participants of this survey largely consisted of a vocal group of individuals who were unsatisfied with the products of current agricultural production methods available to them as consumers.  This prompted the creation of their own alternative methods with corresponding labels to allow others to vote with their food dollar.  These results indicate a need for increased informational resources on production methods, equipment, and marketing routes for producers, particularly those interested in alternative agricultural production.