Road Map foR SucceSS - Santa Gertrudis Breeders International

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II. SGBI Breeder DemographicsLocation-RegionBreeders responded to several demographicquestions designed to identifykey characteristics. The figure belowoutlines members’ age category, whichillustrates the largest portion of themembership is above 45 years old.Only 21 percent of SGBI membersare under 44 years old. Similar to theoverall trend in agriculture, the averageage of an SGBI breeder is greater than55 years old. This finding supportsthe need to emphasize the continueddevelopment of strong leaders for thenext generation.WEST2.5%SOUTHWEST55%MIDWEST10%SOUTH30%NORTHEAST2.5%Breeder herd size is a demographicthat can be used to better understandrisk levels and operational needs ofproducers. The figure below providesthe membership’s reported herd size.As illustrated, 50 percent of the respondentsare classified as small operationshaving less than 50-head capacity,while the remaining 50 percentrepresent a wide range from 50-headto greater than 500-head capacity.Similar to the overall trend in the beefindustry, the average size of an SGBIbreeder operation is less than 50 headcapacity. This finding supports theneed for continued association servicesin the areas of marketing and education.The definition of operation type is animportant demographic as an indicationof individual farm or ranchgoals. Cattle operations fit into fourbasic categories, including seedstock,commercial, stocker and show exhibition.The figure below illustrates thepercentage of breeders by operationtype. The largest percentage of breedersrepresents seedstock operations(52.3 percent), which are defined asoperations that produce replacementbreeding stock for other operations.Commercial operations (30.9 percent)sell calves at weaning, while exhibition/show operations (13.7percent) raiselivestock for competition purposes.Stocker operations (3.1 percent) utilizeforage resources to grow from weaningto the finishing phase. This findinghighlights the diversity among membershipand the challenge to create aconsistent message for the breed.The percentage of net income derivedfrom farming or ranching operationscan be an indicator of profit motivationregardless of the operation’s size. Asshown in the figure below, 86 percentof SGBI membership derives less than40 percent (“Low”) of their annualincome from their farming or ranchingoperation. The largest respondentgroup (65.9 percent) derives less than20 percent of their income from theiroperation, while only 14 percent ofSGBI membership derives a “High”level of their annual income fromfarming and ranching. This findinghighlights the need to identify and designalternative incentives for produceradoption.PAGE 6The Santa Gertrudis Breeders International
III. Overview of Survey ResultsSummary of Key FindingsMarketing & InformationPerformance DataBreed Strengths &Opportunities for GrowthSGBI member Services• Peer-to-peer relationships are highly influential.• 70 percent of the membership will wait to adopt new technologies.• Private treaty, livestock auction markets and purebred sales are theprimary marketing channels.• There is relatively low utilization and importance scores for all datatypes.• There is opportunity to increase importance of expected progenydifferences (EPDs) through education and to increase utilizationthrough value proposition.• There are several barriers to increase participation in TPR:paperwork, lack of education, time and cost.• Maternal ability and performance metrics (gain and efficiency) arebreed strengths.• Marketing, research and customer satisfaction will be importantopportunities to capitalize on in the coming years.• Top priorities include increasing commercial sales and developinga specific market for Santa Gertrudis genetics.• A number of other potential services were rated important.1. Marketing & InformationWhere do you get information? SGBI memberswere asked to rank industry information sources used. Theywere asked to rank only their top five, with the first choicebeing their most commonly used method to acquire information.Producers seek advice and information to help themmake better decisions. We generally seek advice or informationfrom sources we consider trustworthy and of quality.What advice and information sources are viewed as trustworthyand of quality can help an organization target promotionaland educational materials. As shown in the figurebelow, an average of 241 (85 percent of survey respondents)SGBI breeders selected peer-to-peer (i.e. other producers)and the SGBI magazine as the most commonly used informationsources. Additionally, an average of 194 (69 percentof survey respondents) breeders selected websites and otherindustry related magazines as important sources of information.This result highlights the opportunity that exists forSGBI to enhance various communication channels to itsmembership. For example, peer-to-peer relationships couldbe influenced through an enhanced affiliate presence.road map for success | 2013-2017 PAGE 7
Page 2 and 3: 2013-2017Road Map for SuccessFellow
Page 4 and 5: I. Identifying Priorities for Sana
Page 8 and 9: How do you typically adopt new tech
Page 10 and 11: 3. Breed Strengths & Opportunities
Page 12 and 13: SGBI Strategy MapImprove Member/Cus
Page 15 and 16: prepared by Ryan D. Rhoades, Ph.D.,

Road Map foR SucceSS - Santa Gertrudis Breeders International

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