Baseline survey for beef cattle producers in the Southwest and Southern Plains

This data package includes survey questions from beef cattle
producers collectively operating in at least 31 counties in at least
7 states (California, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Texas) - "at least" because there were some
respondents who chose not to provide the location of their
operation. Responses were collected between January 22, 2020 and May
31, 2021. Most of the surveys were administered in person at the
2020 Southwest Beef Symposium in Amarillo, TX. The survey was also
placed online and an additional few responses were collected through
the online survey. These data represent a sample of convenience as
no formal sampling scheme was employed in soliciting responses.
Survey responses are summarized in the publication, Snapshot of
Rancher Perspectives on Creative Cattle Management Options (Elias
et. al, 2020). The purpose of gathering these data was to learn more about the
characteristics of beef cattle producers in the region and to gauge
producer interest in precision livestock ranching technologies and
heritage cattle – both strategies being researched by the
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project to support sustainability of
ranching operations in the Southwest and Southern Plains regions of
the US.

本数据集收录了来自肉牛养殖户的调研问卷，这些养殖户的经营活动覆盖美国至少7个州的共计31个以上县域，涉及州域包括加利福尼亚州、伊利诺伊州、密苏里州、内布拉斯加州、新墨西哥州、俄克拉荷马州与得克萨斯州。此处标注“共计31个以上”是由于部分受访者未提供其经营场所的具体位置信息。调研问卷的回收周期为2020年1月22日至2021年5月31日。绝大多数问卷采用线下发放形式，于得克萨斯州阿马里洛举办的2020年西南肉牛研讨会现场完成填写。本次调研同步开设线上问卷渠道，通过该途径额外回收了少量有效回复。由于本次调研未采用正式抽样方案开展问卷征集，本数据集属于便利抽样样本。调研结果已汇总于《牧场主对创新肉牛管理方案的观点概览》（Elias等，2020）一文当中。本次数据采集的核心目标为：全面掌握该区域肉牛养殖户的群体特征，并评估养殖户对精准畜牧养殖技术与传统品种肉牛的关注度与兴趣。上述两项研究方向均由可持续西南肉牛项目（Sustainable Southwest Beef Project）开展，旨在支撑美国西南部及南部大平原地区牧场经营的可持续发展。