BEEF AND PORK PRODUCERS TODAY ARE ABLE TO PRODUCE MORE MEAT USING FEWER ANIMALS THAN WOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED IN THE PAST. NO PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS ESTIMATED THE IMPACT OF THIS INCREASED EFFICIENCY ON CONSUMERS AND SOCIETY. WE PROPOSE A SET OF SURVEY AND EXPERIMENTAL INSTRUMENTS AND CORRESPONDING MODELS TO ELICIT MEASUREMENTS OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY ON AS WELL AS THE TRADEOFFS CONSUMERS ARE MAKING IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING CUT DIMENSIONS.EACH INDUSTRY HAS STRIVEN FOR INCREASED MEAT PRODUCTION PER ANIMAL IN THE BELIEF THAT IT IS THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS. A MORE ACCURATE MEASUREMENT OF THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES COULD SUGGEST THERE IS A THRESHOLD AT WHICH CONSUMERS AND SOCIETY ARE ACTUALLY WORSE-OFF BY ANIMALS BECOMING MORE PRODUCTIVE. PRELIMINARY WORK ON BEEF, IN PARTICULAR, SUGGESTS THIS MIGHT BE THE CASE FOR AT LEAST SOME CUTS. ALTERNATIVELY, OUR RESULTS MIGHT FIND THE COMBINED BENEFITS FROM LARGER CARCASSES OUTWEIGH ANY CONSEQUENCES AND WOULD PROVIDE A CLEAR CHARGE TOWARD FURTHER RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS.

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

Investigators