Commercial Producer Survey headlines National Conference for Food and Agribusiness

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue’s Large Commercial Producer Project will headline the university’s 2017 National Conference for Food and Agribusiness, Nov. 7-8 in West Lafayette.

The Large Commercial Producer Project, conducted every four years, is the flagship research project of the Center for Food and Agricultural Business. It provides insights on the preferences of large-scale producers when interacting with agricultural salespeople, retailers, lenders and manufacturers. The project’s producer survey focuses on corn/soybean, wheat/barley, cotton, fruit/nut/vegetables, dairy, hog and cattle producers across the United States.

The National Conference for Food and Agribusiness brings together professionals from across the agri-food industry to explore applied university research that impacts customer interactions and business success.

“Understanding customers’ purchasing preferences, decision-making processes and buying behaviors gives agribusinesses opportunities to tailor their customer service approaches and co-create value,” said Michael Gunderson, associate center director and associate professor of agricultural economics. “The National Conference and the Large Commercial Producer Project are both designed to offer deeper understanding of the industry and customers agribusinesses serve.”

One of the new elements of this year’s survey is a section on procurement. One question asked producers to identify how analytical they are when making purchasing decisions. Fifty-two percent said they are analytical decision-makers, while 12 percent said they make decisions intuitively. The remaining respondents said they are balanced between the two.

The procurement section also showed a shift in purchasing behaviors, Gunderson said.

“Large commercial producers’ purchasing behaviors have become more strategic than transactional,” he said. “They want to ensure that the critical farm inputs they need are available long-term at competitive prices.”

The 2017 survey, like every iteration of the survey since its inception, also asked producers about their loyalty to input brands and retailers. One focus of the National Conference is the current state of producer loyalty, and the way it has evolved over time.

Other conference topics, based on the Large Commercial Producer Project, include producer strategies, information and salesperson preferences, buying preferences, and risk management.

Attendees will have access to the project’s themes report.

Early bird registration is $1,195 per person through Aug. 31. Regular registration is $1,395 per person. Group rates are available by contacting Research Project Manager Masi Keshavarz at mkeshava@purdue.edu or 765-496-3385.

Learn more and register at http://agribusiness.purdue.edu/seminars-and-events/national-conference-lcp-2017.

Writer: Jennifer Stewart-Burton, 765-496-6032, jsstewar@purdue.edu 

Sources: Michael Gunderson, 765-496-2010, mgunders@purdue.edu

Masi Keshavarz, 765-496-3385, mkeshava@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Shari Finnell, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, sfinnell@purdue.edu  
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