[Jacob-list] why grassfed is best

[Thomas Simmons]

>Yep grassfed is best. Now, can anyone tell me how to get people to pay
extra
>for it? Because I gotta tell ya it's more expensise to do it right!"

[Thom enters stage right, putting on his economics prof hat :-) ]......

What makes profit in agriculture so darn difficult is that the products are
seen as "standardized," ie, my corn looks just like your corn, so if I
charge a penny more, the public buys yours instead of mine.  There is a
constant downward pressure on agricultre pricesuntil those with higher costs
are squeezed out of business, and the rest barely survive.

The quickest way out of that dilemma is product differentiation. That means
the product must be perceived as somehow "different" by the public, enabling
the producre to charge a higher price; this is why a teenage would only pay
$5 for a T-shirt, but would pay $25 for the same T-shirt with an
"Abercrombie & Fitch" logo across the front.

It is NOT important that the product really *is* different;what is important
is that the consumer *percieves* the product to be different.  That is one
reason why I can often command a higher price for my Jacob wool than other
wools; there are plenty of natural colored wools with the same micron counts
and qualities, but *my* wool is different because _________(and here we fill
in the blanks with a whole lot of stuff :-))

If the public is going to spend MORE for grass-fed animals, then they need
to be convinced that there is a significant difference between grass-fed and
chem-fed.

[Thom now switches hats, and puts on the Political Campaign Director
Hat].....

One of the first rules of successful campaigns is this:  Do *NOT* attempt to
Educate the Public. Do *NOT* seek to change their minds.  Instead, identify
those individuals who *ALREADY THINK LIKE YOU* and mobilize them.

So, in marrying the Economic issues with the Political Issues, you might
consider this:  find out who the local environmenntalist-types are.  Find
out who opposes the use of unnatural feeds.  Find parents groups whose kids
have allergic reactions to additives.  Contact natural food coops (they're
not *all* vegetarians).  Use your phone book to find "consumer" groups (ie,
groups who believe anything a business with an "corp." after their name is
intrinsically evil).

In other words, forget trying to convince the public.  Insetad, find those
who already believe there is a difference between "natural" and "corporate,"
and market *directly* to them.

thom