The Upside of COVID-19’s Long Shadow in Agriculture
June 15, 2020 A century ago, as World War I began wrapping up and American soldiers started filtering back to their hometowns, there was quiet concern in rural America. Would young men, given a taste of the global sophistication of European metropolises be satisfied to return to their old way of life?
This angst manifested itself in an early jazz standard that you might have heard at some point in time: How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm, After They’ve Seen Paree? If not, go YouTube it, it’s a catchy little number.
Anyway, my point here is that while this is certainly not directly comparable to one of the great global conflicts of the 20th Century, we’re in the midst of events that will inflict indelible change on all of us, both personally and professionally.
Truth be told, virus or no virus, seismic events were already challenging industry norms and testing our resolve to endure. The entire 2019 season sapped enthusiasm, and farm income, out of the Midwest. The trade war and, more recently, the oil war have dealt more body blows to farmers.
In the midst of these challenges, farmers were up for outside-the-box methods for trimming costs, including purchasing inputs via the internet. Many retailers stepped up to offer, either directly or via a third party, a way to capture sales from farmers on the web.
And this season, with social distancing becoming the norm from coast to coast, many farmers got to experience a full immersion in high-tech, touchless service from their trusted advisers. Information from scouting reports, sensors, imagery sources, weather stations, and field equipment, funneled into web-based dashboards. Suddenly, the value of data becomes clearer.
Retailers and service providers that had these systems in place got a leg up on the competition, and service hardly missed a beat. And I’m pretty sure farmers will continue to want more engagement in this way.
The other thing I’ve heard is that farmers really liked having 15 less sales calls this past spring … wonder if they might not be a little more assertive about embracing partners and pushing others aside in 2021?
Back to my original point — for an appreciable segment of our customers, the changes will be permanent. I’m willing to bet that post-COVID, farmers will be looking to continue to engage in new ways with their trusted advisers, which frankly would be great news for everyone. It’s an opportunity to explore this season’s experience with farmer customers. To find out what else you can do to make it even more valuable.
If this experience allows us to more clearly segment our customers and nudge another group of farmers into the “progressive” column, then we’re gaining something positive from a truly awful time in our history.
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