The Management of Lamb Heterogeneity is a Tool for Farmers’ Marketing Strategies

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In a value chain, matching supply and demand is needed. Indeed, both vary widely in space and time. The first method of approaching this issue is homogenizing the supply of meat production. It depends on the possibility for farmers to limit the variability in biological processes by improving production conditions. Other marketing strategies are based on the management of animal heterogeneity. In these situations, farmers market a range of products and deal with several market channels. ABSTRACT: The technical processes used in sheep farming systems are elaborate and difficult to control. The result is a certain heterogeneity in marketed lambs. The aim of this study was to understand how farmers use their practices and modes of marketing to manage and exploit this heterogeneity. We analyzed livestock farming systems in Languedoc-Roussillon (South of France) through eight case studies. We characterize the heterogeneity of lambs during their growth and sale and how the farmers cope with this. Our analysis shows how this heterogeneity, whether intentionally created or merely endured, can be used to invest in different marketing chains. Heterogeneity not only offers adaptable farmers marketing opportunities, but also a method of managing production risks.