Sources, Uses, and Adequacy of Marketing Information for Commercial Midwestern Cash Grain Farmers

The objective of this research is to better understand the use of marketing information by cash grain farmers. In particular, factors which influence farmers' perceptions of the "adequacy" of their marketing information supply are examined. Statistical analyses of a random sample of Ohio cash grain farmers were employed in these evaluations. Radio broadcasts and general farm magazines were the two marketing information sources most frequently cited as useful. Highly formalized and marketing specific sources such as marketing consultants, commercial advisory newsletters and computerized information sources were cited relatively infrequently. Radio and television broadcasts were more frequently cited as the ‘most useful’ source of marketing information by older farmers and operators of small farms than by their counterparts. Marketing professionals were cited as ‘most useful’ more frequently by operators of larger farms and operators with at least some college education. A multivariate logit analysis was used to examine the joint effect of operator, farm and information source characteristics on information adequacy evaluations. The probability of an "adequate" evaluation was positively influenced by total farm information expenditure, the use of time-diversified marketing of grain from storage facilities, and the use of marketing consultants, brokers or commercial advisory newsletters as the primary source of marketing information.