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October 2007 Issue
Thanks for the feedback
by Darrell Anderson
What a response!
I, along with the NSR communications staff, recently reviewed the in-depth Seedstock EDGE survey that many of you completed. It’s only appropriate that I share some of the results with you.
As you may know, the survey was accessible through our Web site and through an e-mail sent to about 2,000 readers. Your response has been awesome.
First of all, more than 25 percent of you responded to the survey, which is far greater than we had expected. For that, we are grateful.
I found the age breakdown of the readership to be interesting. The largest age classification – nearly 25 percent – was 41-50. They were followed closely by the 21-30, 31-40 and 51-and-older age groups – each comprising about 20 percent. Twenty year olds and younger represented about 15 percent of our readership.
A high percentage of readers – 77 percent – file the magazine to keep it for future reference after reading it, and most of you – 93 percent – share your copy of Seedstock EDGE with at least one other person. The average rating for editorial features was high, and it appears most of you enjoy reading the columns.
Interestingly, show and sale reports received the highest rating of any editorial material, and the vast majority of you – 93 percent – read the show reports written by the field representatives. We will strive to continue to provide high-quality reports for you.
When asked to rate the usefulness of Seedstock EDGE, more than 92 percent rated it as either good or excellent, with 57 percent ranking it as excellent – the highest rating.
I’m pleased to report that more than 75 percent of you indicated that, of the various publications available in the swine industry, the most valuable in your operation is Seedstock EDGE. We were humbled by that response, and our staff is committed to making this publication even better in future years.
Regarding plans for your own operations, 53 percent indicated you plan to maintain your current size, while 38 percent plan to increase your number of hogs. Nearly 9 percent plan to decrease the size of your herd. If those numbers are accurate, I would predict bright times ahead for our industry.
You were also given the opportunity to share your opinions with us, openly and freely. Some were informative, some were humorous and all were appreciated.
Many of you confessed that when you’ve finished reading your copy of
Seedstock EDGE, it is filed in your “bathroom library.” I appreciate your honesty, and we are honored that you would put us in such a visible place.
When asked what you get from Seedstock EDGE that you don’t receive from other livestock publications, we received these responses:
“It’s a great magazine. When I get it in the mail, I can’t wait to open it and flip through the pages. I usually read it all night.”
“I read it from cover to cover.”
“Seedstock EDGE is more professional than the other publications.”
And my personal favorite, “EDGE is simply the best purebred publication of any species.”
You also shared some excellent suggestions on additional features and stories you would like to see.
I especially liked the response from the reader who said he would like to see a feature on his champion and top-selling $100,000 boar at our national conference. He went on to say he hasn’t accomplished this yet, but he hopes he will, and he wondered if we could make that story happen when it did.
I am proud of our magazine staff, and rightfully so, as they returned home this summer with many awards and honors from the Livestock Publications Council Critique Contest in Louisville, Ky.
Just like our pedigree department, they are here to help you succeed in your business, and they enjoy working with you in your many marketing efforts.
Thanks so much for your feedback. We will use this information to steer your publication on a path to advertising and marketing success for you.
