Economic and Marketing Information                                                                                                                                                                                          FOR INDIANA  FARMERS
Prepared by the Agricultural Staff of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana      
December  30,   1960
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INDIANA  FARMERS
Helping Homemakers Helps You
by RICHARD C. MAXON
Agricultural Economics
FARMERS, businessmen, and
others who think that they
have difficulties in making rapid
and accurate decisions should accompany their wives on a shopping
tour through the local supermarket. While keeping one eye on the
kids and a running total of the
amount spent, the "lady of the
house" is expected to make her
selections from among 4,000 to
6,000 items, be a competent judge
of everything from apples to zucchini, and purchase enough food
in 30 to 40 minutes to feed the
family for a week.
The amount of information required to do the most efficient job
of purchasing would fill a row of
filing cabinets and take several
hours to analyze even with electronic computers. And computers
are not subjected to the pleadings
of children, conversations with acquaintances, and the lure of glittering displays or tempting
aromas!
Homemakers are not alone or
without assistance on the weekly
foray to the grocery. They develop
short cuts and aids to ease the task
of buying. Shopping lists are compiled after scanning the pantry
and grocery advertisements, family income and preferences exclude many items from consideration, and purchasing by brand or
grade eliminates the necessity of
appraising items when repeat purchases are made. Even after the
short cuts are developed, the necessity of keeping informed about
changes in prices, supplies, product qualities, and new items coming on the market is a tremendous
task.
Marketing Information for
Consumers is an important part
of the Extension program to increase marketing efficiency.
Much of the work is behind the
scene; gathering, analyzing and
supplying information to those
best able to utilize it. Forty-one
states and territories are engaged
in the project.
Even though modern processing,
transportation, and storage methods have reduced the effect of
seasonality on agricultural prices,
temporary shortages or gluts may
appear on the market because of
weather conditions. Informed consumers can do much toward easing the market impacts of temporary situations and, in the long
run, serve as a more responsive
and reliable guide to production
of the desired quantities and qualities of agricultural commodities.
The benefits from an effective
consumer marketing program
could then be stated as:
0 More orderly marketing of agricultural products.
Q More   effective   utilization   of
agricultural commodities.
Q More   rapid   production   and
marketing adjustments.
Q More satisfied customers.
Consumer information programs are not just another effort
to sell agricultural commodities.
These are an integral part of an
over-all program to increase efficiency in marketing. In its truest
sense, the consumer program is
an effort to educate both producers and consumers. Consumers
receive information on present,
prospective, and relative changes
in supplies, prices, qualities, and
services, the reasons for their
changes, technology of new prod
ucts, new market developments,
selection and care of foods, and
principles to use in adapting information to their tastes, needs
and resources. Producers are informed of consumers' values,
knowledge, consumption patterns,
tastes and preferences, habits,
prospective changes in demand,
etc.
But information without action
upon it is sterile. Motivation must
be supplied for its application. For
the consumer, the reward for application of the economic and technical information can be greater
satisfaction, better nutrition, and
greater economy in purchase and
utilization of agricultural c o m -
modifies. Producers, marketing
institutions, and society can benefit financially from the better use
of their resources, avoiding the
waste of producing and distributing undesirable products, and
greater efficiency in planning and
adjusting the quantity and quality
of output.
The question may arise as to
why consumer information and
education programs need to be incorporated into extension marketing projects. Many sources of consumer information are already
available and dollar sales can be
used as an indication of consumers' reactions to products. Information is available to consumers from experience, advertising,
inspection of products, from the
experiences of others, releases of
trade associations, private consumer organizations and other
sources. But much of this information is scattered and lacking in essentials for intelligent consumer
decisions. Newspaper advertising,
for example, can inform consum-
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