Who Buys Sheep & Goat Meat And What Do They Value?
Agricultural Economics & Community Development
Jennifer Lutes
Agricultural Business Field Specialist
University of Missouri Extension
Pineville
Abstract
U.S. demand for lamb and goat meat is growing, yet approximately 70% of supply is currently met through frozen, commodity cuts from Australia and New Zealand. There is significant market opportunity for domestic producers, but capitalizing on it requires understanding what consumers actually value and what attributes they are willing to pay for. This presentation shares findings from a national consumer research study conducted by Lincoln University and University of Missouri (USDA NIFA Award 2023-38821-39983), in which the presenter served as a co-investigator. The study surveyed U.S. lamb and goat meat consumers using a hypothetical choice experiment to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for key product and process attributes. The presentation covers three areas: consumer demographics and purchasing behavior, including generational differences in purchasing patterns; WTP findings for both lamb and goat meat consumers across attributes including product origin, organic certification, grass-fed production, ethical production, and storage condition; and market supply context connecting consumer preferences to current domestic production realities. Key findings include fresh product and organic premiums for both lamb and goat meat consumers. Notably, consumers showed no meaningful preference for locally sourced over domestically sourced product. A counterintuitive result that directly challenges common local food marketing narratives and has real implications for how Extension frames marketing guidance for sheep and goat producers. The presentation concludes with practical messaging Extension professionals can use to help sheep and goat producers align their production and marketing decisions with documented consumer demand.
Authors: Jennifer Lutes
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Jennifer Lutes Agricultural Business and Policy Field Specialist, University of Missouri, Missouri, 64856