U.S. Beef Producers' Current Use and Perceptions of Social Media as a Communications Tool

Abstract

The purpose of this nationwide study was to determine U.S. beef producers' current use and perceptions of social media as a communications tool. Participants in this study (n=498) were randomly selected from a population of 6,201 beef producers who: (a) belonged to Drovers/CattleNetwork in 2011; (b) had a valid e-mail address on account with the publication; and (c) had not opted-out of third party contact. Descriptive research methodology was selected for this study to analyze not only the trend of social media use among U.S. beef producers, but also the relationships between various attributes of those producers as they relate to communication preferences, social media use, and perceptions of information shared via social media tools. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations were used to analyze the data. This population of U.S. beef producers indicated a strong preference for livestock publications as their primary source of information, followed closely by the Internet. Livestock publications also received the highest credibility ratings from producers, followed by Extension specialists. Social media was rated as both the least preferred and the least credible source of information in this study. However, producers did indicate information shared via social media tools by other producers and beef industry organizations as usually credible. About half of producers were currently using social media tools, largely for reasons related to the beef and agricultural industries. Producers not using social media indicated time and lack of interest as the major factors contributing to their non-use.