During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. households received economic impact payments through several federal aid programs. Simultaneously, the U.S. food sector experienced dramatic shifts in the source of demand and consumer spending behavior. Motivated by this, we evaluate the associations between federal financial assistance and both household food-at-home and food-away-from-home expenditures. The first two economic impact payments were associated with increased spending on food-at-home, while only the first was associated with increased spending on food away from home. All three payments were associated with an increased probability of spending on food away from home.

Causal flow analyses combined with time series analyses are used to examine price relationships among fresh broiler retail markets (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West). Results indicate structural changes have occurred in this industry. Reasons for changes in price relationships include the perishable nature of fresh broilers, along with vertical integration and increases in production and concentration in the industry. The four markets are integrated, but the level of integration has decreased over time. With the markets becoming more exogenous, there may be a decrease in society’s welfare. The South market is the most important market for price discovery.

The objective of this study is to identify attributes that influenced consumers’ preferences when selecting locally grown food across different sources during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimated the willingness to pay (WTP) for locally grown food sources. Results showed that respondents valued Freshness, Accessibility, Variety, and Risk Shift attributes, respectively. In addition, community-supported agriculture (CSAs) have the lowest WTP among other sources, and respondents valued CSAs’ general weaknesses more than their advantages when choosing where to purchase locally grown food. However, we found that increasing community outreach levels positively affects choice probabilities for CSAs over other sources.

Past research has only studied genetic panel scores and feedlot performance. This research combines impacts of genetic panel scores on a cow-calf operation with previously estimated feedlot impacts to evaluate the potential for misaligned economic incentives in the beef industry. Calves that were higher genetic scores for two carcass traits, marbling and tenderness, had lower weaning weights and lower net returns. Correlations between genetic traits and cow size were small and mostly insignificant. The sum of the effects on feedlot and cow-calf sectors of a one-unit higher panel score totaled $-2.83 per cow year for marbling and $-4.93 per cow year for tenderness.

Previous research links organic purchasing motivations to personal and family health. We conduct a national survey to explore whether this preference intensifies when preparing family meals, especially during Thanksgiving. We find that approximately 83% of consumers change their consumption habits for Thanksgiving, with a notable preference for organic products. Results from the choice experiment indicate willingness to pay premiums for Thanksgiving-themed items, especially those with USDA-certified organic or certified naturally grown labels. These findings underscore policy initiatives that strengthen consumer understanding of organic certifications and support producers in securing them, capitalizing on the seasonal demand surge.

Calving date affects feed costs, calf weaning weights, marketing dates, labor availability, and, potentially, calf health. Employing recent estimates of calf weaning weights and surveys of producers, feedlot operators, and veterinarians, we model expected profits as a function of calving date. January-calving herds had the highest annualized net returns, a result driven by older weaning dates and heavier weaning weights. However, survey results show March and April were the most common calving months. This may be due to both weather and labor demand concerns. If weaning ages are restricted to 205 days, January calving was the least profitable because of higher feed costs.

Although South Africa accounts for half of the alternative meat market for the African continent, there remains a lack of information about consumer demand for plant-based and lab-cultured meat and its market potential domestically. This study reports the results of a nationwide survey of 649 South African consumers who completed a choice experiment in which they selected among conventional beef and three alternative burger patties at varying prices. Results indicate that holding prices constant and conditional on choosing a food product, 21% of the market share was estimated for plant-based meat alternatives and 38% for lab-cultured meat.

This study employs a hedonic price model on slaughter goat auction data to examine the factors affecting U.S. meat goat prices. Wether-kids and wethers with superior muscularity receive high premiums in the auction markets. We find a non-linear relationship between average price and average weight, with the average price declining with increasing average weight within the reasonable weight range. The results reveal a seasonal effect on U.S. meat goat prices, primarily due to the seasonality of goat supply caused by goat breeding practices. Our results do not show a significant effect of the foreign-born population on meat goat auction prices.

Land expansion by existing smallholder farmers (SHFs), aka stepping-up, is a major pathway to the rise of medium-scale farmers (MSFs) in Africa. In this paper, we investigate if and how armed conflicts constrain the ability of SHFs to transition to MSFs. We find that increased conflict intensity reduces the likelihood that a SHF will expand to a larger scale, especially for farmers who rely mostly on farm incomes, rather than off-farm incomes, for their livelihoods. These findings uphold other evidence that peace and stability influence private investment, including land-based investments, that are associated with economic transformation.