Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Uneven Industrialization of Agrofood Systems: Understanding the Bases and Significance of Family Production in the U.S. Beef Commodity System

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

SES-0221794 PI(s): Jess Gilbert Jenifer Sharp University of Wisconsin Madison This rural sociology Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant examines the beef livestock sector, which has remained small scale and decentralized relative to that of the poultry and hog industries. The research seeks to increase our understanding of adaptations that allow family-owned businesses to compete in a restructuring industry. More generally, the co-PI will address the question of whether the persistence of small-scale beef production derive from capacity to remain competitive or reflect "resistance" to dominant trends in society. The project combines quantitative and qualitative research. Government statistics from the US Department of Agriculture, Census of Agriculture and American Meat Institute will be integrated to determine direction and forces of structural change in beef production. Approximately thirty in-depth structured interviews will be conducted with farmers in three regions of the US, and other key informants (typically persons at other stages of the beef commodity chain, including input and service suppliers, processors, and retailers). These will provide information on the dynamics of structural change and household decision-making.