This study investigates U.S. peach producers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for potential improvement of peach fruit attributes. Data were collected from 124 U.S. peach producers. The choice experiment and socioeconomic data were analyzed using mixed logit (ML) models to estimate the producer WTP and preferences for peach attributes. The results indicate that the WTP for attribute values vary across peach producers from different production regions (California and eastern United States), with different selling targets (fresh and processed) and different orchard sizes (smaller or larger than 15 acres). These results provide useful information for peach breeders in prioritizing traits in their breeding programs.
PhD Student.
Associate Professor and Bachman Endowed Chair in Horticultural Marketing.
Professor.
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist.
Professor and Associate Director of Agricultural Research Center.
Manager.
Professor and Director of Agricultural and Food Systems and Integrated Plant Sciences degree programs.
Corresponding author. E-mail: yuechy@umn.edu.