35% of farmers intend to grow their farming business in the next five years, while 49% intend to remain the same, according to a survey from Hillsgreen.
The ‘Marketing to Farmers 2024/25’ report revealed that the main reason for this was that the farmers, particularly the younger respondents, “see a bright future” for the industry.
This contrasts a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) on the Farming and Countryside Programme which revealed that 48% of farmers are “not at all positive” about their future in farming.
The Hillsgreen report showed that 7% of respondents intend to get smaller or exit certain farming enterprises in the next five years, with 2% intending to give up practical farming altogether.
When it came to understanding the factors most impacting farmers and their businesses currently, profitability, cashflow and farm input costs were ranked as the top three respectively, with land availability, climate change and staffing issues as the bottom three.
The Marketing to Farmers report, now in its fourth year, focuses on how farmers consume information and make buying decisions.
Other highlights from the report include:
- Males over 45 are the key decision-makers on most farms, with 47% of females being joint decision-makers;
- The most popular social media channels used by farmers are WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, but Snapchat and TikTok are dominant for under 25s;
- 60% of farmers are comfortable spending up to £5,000 in an online transaction;
- 74% of farmers check social media daily, with 76% checking emails daily. Most are online after 6:00p.m;
- 50% of farmers listen to podcasts at least monthly, with 11% listening every day;
- 75% of farmers rate ‘word of mouth’ recommendations from other farmers above all other influences on buying decisions;
- 22% of farmers say YouTube and social media influencers play a role in their on-farm buying decisions.
Chief executive of Hillsgreen, Andy Venables, said: “Agriculture is changing rapidly yet it is clear that, despite the many challenges faced by farmers, most remain optimistic about the next five years
“Our research – now in its fourth year – helps organisations in the wider sector better understand how farmers communicate and make buying decisions.
“In a busy, changing world, it is more important than ever that organisations can target communications that cut through and engage farmers, and we hope that this report helps with that.”
