Arkansas beef cattle industry: 2017 self-assessment

Objective: The objectives of this study were 2-fold. The first was to gain insight into the strengths, weaknesses (limitations), opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for 6 segments of Arkansas's beef industry including small commercial cow-calf (<50 cows), large commercial cow-calf, purebred, stocker, allied industry, and education support. The second was to evaluate educational preferences including methods for receiving information and group meeting participation. Materials and Methods: During phase I of the assessment, leaders from each segment participated in listening sessions and generated a list of SWOT comments. During phase II, up to 100 industry representatives from each segment were randomly selected to complete a survey. Results and Discussion: Results of the SWOT assessment revealed 8 universal grand challenge areas including markets and marketing, land availability and cost, technology adoption, cattle genetic merit and health, government regulation, animal activism, labor, and next generation of producers. Printed extension publications was a preferred method for receiving information among producers (4 +/- 0.07; where 5 = highly preferred) and industry (3.89 +/- 0.11) and did not differ (P = 0.43). Group meetings and workshops were only moderately preferred among producers (3.55 +/- 0.08) and industry (3.44 +/- 0.13) and did not differ (P = 0.47). Based on meeting day preference response rate, stocker operators were least likely to attend meetings. Implications and Applications: Industry assessments establish awareness of the challenges producers and supporters face and reveal opportunities in programming to advance industry sustainability.