Challenges and Opportunities Associated with U.S. Agricultural Certifications

1Respectively, Senior Research Specialist and Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business, New Mexico State University. INTRODUCTION A certification mark is defined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as any word, name, symbol, or device owned by one party and used by another party or parties to certify some aspect of the mark owner’s good or service. Certification marks have been used to add value to agricultural commodities in the United States. This marketing strategy conveys additional information about the product that consumers find useful and can result in price premiums over generic commodity prices. Exploring previous research related to the development and use of certification programs in U.S. food and agricultural commodity industries can provide insights into the challenges and opportunities facing other agricultural industries seeking to develop their own certifications. In this publication, we consider past research in U.S. agricultural industries related to certification price premiums, differentiation and certification strategies, and the influence of marketing, product mix, product form or state, certifying agency, and stakeholders on the potential for program viability and success.