| Declining grain prices, cyclical livestock prices, changing consumer preferences, and intense international competition for agricultural commodity markets have created a need for alternative production and marketing strategies. Iowa producers striving to break away from commodity production and to develop more lucrative value-added and niche markets must figure out how to increase both the consumer appeal and economic value of their products. Even if mild, sweet spring onions were a major cash crop in Iowa, producers could not market them as Vidalia onions. A legislated geographical limitation on supply is part of the success of Vidalia onions as an internationally recognized, branded product that can command a price premium in supermarkets across the... |
