A new national e-learning platform specifically for farmers and rural businesses focused on marketing to the end consumer will be launched next week.
Mission.AG will be free to access and is an idea developed from the huge success of the Mission4Milk campaign.
Mission4Milk was a national campaign ran in 2019 to improve the way milk is marketed and viewed in the UK.
The campaign was led by specialist agricultural digital marketing agency Hillsgreen which is now starting a sister company, Mission.AG.
Mission.AG will offer free marketing education resources developed specifically for farming businesses to support and develop their offerings and sales.
It will include webinars, guides and educational materials as part of the e-learning platform.
Focused on building a positive community of like-minded farmers there will also be a forum where businesses can share marketing best-practice ideas, industry knowledge and experience, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and learn from other farming businesses.
Andy Venables, managing director of Hillsgreen and Mission.AG said: “More farms and agricultural businesses are diversifying and looking for ways to open up new revenue streams.
“It’s not surprising given the challenging circumstances we’re currently facing. ‘Agflation’ is at a record high, more so than even general inflation, and people want full control of farmgate prices and direct sale opportunities.
“With so much opportunity for growth, an increasing number of younger generational farming businesses and new farmers entering the market, we want to close the gap that exists in the industry’s marketing and digital skills.
“If you look at industries such as insurance, personal finance, fashion, travel and ultimately, a lot of non-food retail, they utilise technology and digital platforms very well.
“There is no reason that farming and the food production sector – down to the smallest dairy farms, arable farms and egg producers – can’t have the same innovation and success.
“All we need is for the industry to be well equipped with the correct tools and knowledge and this is what Mission.AG aims to do.”
