ACEL Research: with Dr. Joy Rumble

In a research study with colleague Dr. Taylor Ruth, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Communication Dr. Joy Rumble published an article in the Journal of Human Sciences and Extension titled, “Berry Good Programming: An Examination of Consumers’ Purchasing Intent of Florida Strawberries in Out-of-State Markets.” The authors conducted focus groups “in North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York. Participants had positive attitudes toward purchasing Florida strawberries, and past experiences and interactions with others influenced their purchasing intent, but their perceptions of behavioral control were low. Participants with neutral attitudes and limited behavioral control had lower intent to purchase Florida strawberries in the future compared to other participants.” From the findings, the researchers recommended that “Extension could help producers increase purchasing intent by increasing perceived behavioral control, making the growing location easily visible on the strawberry labels, and facilitating personal experiences between consumers and the product.”