Quality labels are one type of marketing strategy employed in efforts to renew small and mid-size farming. The declining number of farms in the United States has raised concerns about the negative impacts of these trends on rural communities, such as population loss and a weakening social fabric. Quality labels are voluntary seals or logos that distinguish food credence attributes, such as geographic origin and/or a particular production method, or environmental, social, and/or animal welfare criteria. The benefits of participating in these labeling initiatives for farmers may include market niches and price premiums. Some of the most successful labels are becoming less effective for contributing to small- and medium-scale farm economic viability, however, despite growing consumer support and market share. Organic and fair trade labels have attracted new and larger entrants, which contributed to declining price premiums. These changes have also resulted in less farmer input with respect to certification and changes to standards, facilitating the participation of larger-scale operations. Could greater farmer input and control over labeling initiatives in the US increase their contributions to small- and medium-scale farm economic viability, and if so, how? To begin to answer this question, I examined farmer interest in one particular practice that has strong potential for inclusion in a quality label: the installation nest boxes for American Kestrels, a predator of smaller birds, including those that eat fruit crops. The first study analyzed Michigan blueberry and cherry farmer’s mental models to understand how they relate to the adoption of nest boxes. Farmers who used more biological factors in their mental models for pest management were more likely to adopt this conservation practice. The use of mental models in outreach may improve understanding the relationships between biological factors in farming systems, which could potentially increase the adoption of conservation practices. The second study was an online survey of cherry and blueberry farmers in the United States, to assess perspectives of nest boxes as a pest management strategy for their farm, and as an industry marketing strategy. The majority of respondents indicated a high degree interest in both. Most farmers also shared the perception that natural predators lower pest pressure and bird damage, and help to raise fruit quality and income. The third study involved interviews and a comparative legal analysis of France’s Organismes de Défense et de Gestion (ODGs). ODGs are self-governing nonprofit associations that focus on the development of production standards, and management and promotion of the related quality label or brand. The ODG model is structured in a manner that can be compliant with US anti-trust laws, and the core purposes can easily be replicated in Michigan and other states. Its high degree of farmer input may have greater potential to resist weakening of standards and lowering of price premiums, in comparison to other labeling approaches. The ODG model could potentially be employed to label the use of nest boxes and other conservation practices for sweet cherries in the Michigan, for example, via the creation of a non-profit organization, which trademarks a logo to represent its farmer-member developed standards. More research is needed to determine the feasibility of labeling initiatives and their potential contributions to farm viability, however, in particular the food items and attributes that are most desirable to consumers.
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