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Abstract
A choice experiment of consumers from five Mid-Atlantic states was conducted to compare
marginal willingness to pay for fresh tomatoes with the attributes locally grown, state marketing
program promoted, and organic from either a grocery store or farmers’ market. Data were analyzed
using a mixed logit model. Results show that consumers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
prefer local tomatoes, while those in Delaware and New Jersey prefer state program versions.
Unexpectedly, price premiums for organic over conventional tomatoes were only exhibited in
Maryland, and Virginia was the only state with a significant premium for the farmers’ market
venue.