ALFALFA BUYER SURVEY: 
REASONS FOR PURCHASING & INFORMATION SOURCES

This article reports partial results from a survey in 1993 of Oklahoma and Texas dairies which buy alfalfa.  

REASONS FOR PURCHASING ALFALFA HAY  

Several factors can affect where buyers purchase alfalfa hay. Oklahoma and Texas dairies indicated their primary reasons for purchasing alfalfa from where they buy it. Table 1 shows their responses. Importantly, buyers are more interested in quality than price. This result supports what HAYMARKET data have indicated -- that buyers are willing to pay for quality. Respondents marked "consistent quality" first, followed by "adequate quality" (which I will address in future newsletters), and then "price". It would seem the key to successful marketing is quality, quality, and quality.  

Note that "transportation cost" was not nearly as important as other factors. Therefore, if Oklahoma and Texas dairies can locate the right quality alfalfa in areas outside Oklahoma (New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, or elsewhere), they may bypass Oklahoma alfalfa.

Table 1. Most Important Factors Determining Where Alfalfa Hay Is Purchased.    

  
OBTAINING ALFALFA HAY INFORMATION  

Just where do Oklahoma and Texas dairies find out about available alfalfa for sale? The results surprised me a bit (Table 2) - and may surprise you. Many more dairies rely on "truckers" for information about alfalfa than I expected. This raises a question. How knowledgeable are truckers about alfalfa quality? Do they really know what dairies are looking for in terms of quality alfalfa? Are they presenting the best image for Oklahoma alfalfa producers?  

"Previous suppliers" are also important. Though not selected most frequently as the first choice information source, "previous suppliers" was marked most frequently as a first, second, or third choice. You can provide valuable information to dairies about other growers' alfalfa at the same time or after you have marketed your alfalfa.

Table 2. Most Important Information Sources in Locating Alfalfa Hay.    

 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  
Clement E. Ward, Raymond L. Huhnke, and Gerrit W. Cuperus. Alfalfa Buyer Preferences by Oklahoma and Texas Dairy Producers. OSU Extension Circular E-936, 1994.