Melissa Webster
January 3, 2024
AdFarm’s Farm Voice event in Kansas City offered a canvas for collaboration, painting a picture of the intricate relationship between farmers and marketers. We looked to industry experts who are closest to the farm to better understand how to gain trust and adoption among producers.
Zach Townsend, founder of T&T Agronomy; Kevin Heikes, co-founder & COO of INTENT; and Philip Gudde, manager of Crown Power & Equipment delved into pivotal aspects that shape the trajectory of new products and ideas. The panelists, across their respective fields, found common ground in placing farmers’ needs at the forefront of attention.
INTENT works with growers on field trials, and Heikes stressed the importance of understanding working conditions to integrate technology into farming practices. The dichotomy between available technology and its practical implementation on farms surfaced as a notable challenge.
“I’ve learned that when you sit in a room with high-speed internet and air conditioning, that inventions all work really well until you take it to the farm,” Heikes said. “Until you really let farmers put ideas to the test, you don’t really know if it’s going to be adopted, and a lot of times it doesn’t get adopted the way that you expect.”
“Until you really let farmers put ideas to the test, you don’t really know if it’s going to be adopted, and a lot of times it doesn’t get adopted the way that you expect.”
“The first and foremost reason we are in existence is because a producer has a need.”
“Producers that have grown up with technology since grade school, and handle it day in and day out, are more willing to start running before they walk with technology.”
When it comes time to positioning offerings, Gudde takes an educational approach with the focal point being service versus sales.
“The first and foremost reason we are in existence is because a producer has a need,” Gudde advised. “We try to really build that relationship of being that phone call and being a resource of knowledge for them.”
The panelists collectively recognized how farmers’ perception of value influences decision-making. Heikes shared that farmers are willing to invest but they must know it works and they can evaluate return on investment.
Delivering ROI falls back to having boots-on-the-ground touchpoints throughout the entire customer journey and product life cycle. Townsend acknowledged the generational gap in farming also shapes how and when products and ideas are adopted on the farm.
“Producers that have grown up with technology since grade school, and handle it day in and day out, are more willing to start running before they walk with technology,” Townsend added.
As the conversations among industry experts indicate, the key to connecting farmers with solutions lies in effectively implementing technology while keeping farmers’ realities top of mind, reminding product and service providers to listen to the farmers who are implementing their solutions at the ground level.
Hear more about agricultural connectivity from the panelists in this video from AdFarm’s Farm Voice event.