Producer Response to State-Sponsored Marketing Programs: The Case of Jersey Fresh

New Jersey agricultural growers were surveyed to understand their willingness to patronize the Jersey Fresh promotional and quality grading program. Growers’ perceptions of the premium logo and their opinions of the quality grading aspect of the Jersey Fresh Program were collected. Possible causes for the fluctuating participation of farmers in the quality-grading program were also explored. The results of this study should provide valuable information that can be applied not only to expand the Jersey Fresh Program, but also in other states which have similar promotional programs. Specific objectives of this analysis were to examine the general attitudes of participating farmers towards the effectiveness of the Jersey Fresh Logos and to identify the characteristics of farmers participating or interested in participating in the Jersey Fresh Promotional and Quality Grading Programs. Of the farmers who responded, 93.1% indicated that they were aware of the Jersey Fresh Program and 51.4% indicated that they did use the Jersey Fresh Logos. Over three-quarters of the farmers (76.4%) were of the opinion that the logos had a medium to high awareness among consumers. The majority of farmers indicated that the most important reason for using the Jersey Fresh Logos was to add locally grown value (46.9%) and freshness value to their produce (26.6%). Farmers who believed that consumer awareness of the Jersey Fresh Logos was high and who used logos other than Jersey Fresh were found to be more likely to have used the Jersey Fresh Logos and also more likely to use them in the future. Farmers with high gross sales of produce and with higher levels of education were found more likely to have used the Jersey Fresh Logos and also more likely to use the logos in the future. The number of acres being farmed and the age of the farmers, however, were found to have a negative effect on both the current usage and willingness to use the logos in the future. v Growers with farms located in the southern New Jersey were found more likely to be Jersey Fresh participants and also more willing to use Jersey Fresh Logos in the future, compared to farmers in the central or northern regions of the state. Farmers who believed that consumers were highly aware of the program and those who used other logos to identify their quality fresh produce were more likely to be registered in the Jersey Fresh Quality Grading Program. Growers with farms in southern New Jersey and who had more than a four year college education were also found to be more likely to be registered in the Quality Grading Program. Among the most cited reasons for not participating in the program were not wanting their produce to be inspected, not knowing about the program, and not finding the grading logo to be effective in obtaining a premium price