26. Assessing Priority Needs of Small-scale Livestock Producers in Utah: Implications for Extension Programming and Policies.

Abstract Small-scale, backyard, and hobby livestock systems are expanding across the western United States, yet Utah-specific, producer-driven assessments integrating infrastructure, animal health, business capacity, and Extension engagement remain limited. A statewide cross-sectional needs assessment survey was conducted across all 29 Utah counties from January 2025 to January 2026 to identify priority needs among small-scale livestock producers (n = 114). The study examines demographics, production characteristics, priority challenges, and preferred Extension engagement methods. Using simple percentages, Rank Discrepancy Scores (RDS), gap (G), and principal component analysis (PCA) all 23 issues were evaluated. Results showed that respondents were predominantly female (68%). Racial composition of the sample was largely homogeneous, with most respondents identifying as White (79%), many ethnic respondents identified as not Hispanic or Latino (89%), with most producers managing fewer than 20 animals (45%) and operating for 10 years or less (69%). Livestock ownership was primarily hobby-based (49%) or supplemental income oriented (25%). Using Rank Discrepancy Scores (RDS), gap analysis (G), and principal component analysis (PCA), all 23 evaluated issues exhibited negative RDS values, indicating widespread unmet needs. Water accessibility emerged as the highest priority with RDS, - 47; mean importance score (MIS), 4.23; mean access score (MAS), 3.44; and G, 0.79, followed by parasite and disease management (RDS, - 40; G, 0.76), feed management (RDS, - 38; G, 0.70), and financial resources and capital (RDS, - 36; G, 0.85). PCA (KMO = 0.87; Bartlett’s p < 0.001) identified three domains explaining 59.27% of total variance: these three domains are: Production Infrastructure and Environmental Resources (RDS, - 30), Livestock Health and Husbandry Practices (RDS, -25), and Farm Business and Marketing (RDS, - 23). Extension engagement preferences indicated strong demand for digital information delivery, with 59% preferring web-based platforms and 49% email communication. Hybrid training formats were most favored, including face-to-face workshops with online components (39%) and primarily online training with some in-person interaction (29%). These findings highlight key needs among Utah livestock producers, including water access, livestock health management, feed management, and infrastructure. The greatest gaps exist between the importance of these needs and producers’ access to resources. Extension-led interventions using blended educational approaches can improve animal welfare, strengthen producer capacity, and promote sustainable small-scale livestock systems in the state. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text. For image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text.