Tennessee Beef Producers' Willingness to Participate in a Tennessee Branded Beef Program

Tennessee beef industry participants have expressed a growing interest in producing cattle to be harvested locally to capture additional value. This study measures Tennessee cattle producer willingness to supply cattle to a federally inspected slaughter (FIS) facility and a Tennessee branded beef (TBB) program. Data from a 2016 survey of Tennessee beef cattle producers were used to estimate interest in participating in the FIS program and TBB program as well as the live cattle weight that interested producers would supply. Of those who responded, 76.6 percent were interested in participating in the FIS program and 70.5 percent were interested in the TBB program. Interest in the program was influenced by age, income, production practices used, and risk attitudes. The average liveweight of cattle to be supplied to the FIS program was 68,863 pounds per year and 58,597 pounds per year for the TBB program. Liveweight supply was influenced by producer age, animal units, production practices, and perceived barriers. Among producers interested in participating either program, respondents appear to prefer to finish cattle on a combination of grass/grain on their farm.