Landowner Willingness and Typologies for Adopting Mycotoxin Mitigation Practices in Wildlife Supplemental Feed

Supplemental feed is widely used by private landowners, hunters, and wildlife professionals to support wildlife populations and management goals. However, it can pose risks from mycotoxins, which are toxic byproducts of molds that grow on grains and seeds. Although numerous best management practices (BMPs) have been proposed to reduce mycotoxin contamination, empirical understanding of landowner attitudes and willingness to adopt these practices remains limited. We conducted a mail survey of 3,000 Oklahoma landowners to examine factors influencing willingness to adopt aflatoxin-related BMPs in supplemental feed. Multinomial regression results indicated that concerns for human and wildlife health, contamination risk, intention to act, agency trust, and willingness to pay for certified feed were significant positive predictors of BMP adoption. Cluster analysis further identified three landowner typologies: Resistive, Receptive, and Cautious but Disengaged. These findings highlight the importance of targeted outreach and support to enhance BMP adoption.