by Tiverton
Farmers are growing more concerned about their market access as a result of COVID-19 than their financial situation, a Purdue University poll shows. 45 percent of producers said their ability to network and connect with the ag community is the primary concern after COVID — a percentage which increased from August to September.
What’s Been Impacted: The ability for farmers to connect with other producers and agricultural professionals has been altered due to the pandemic. This prohibition on traditional networking has caused the ag community to resort to digital presentations, though producers have shown little interest in a remote format thus far. Producers have expressed that a lack of interaction with other attendees is one key downfall of webinars.
How Farmers are Responding: Though few farmers have been interested in virtual farm shows and online networking events up until now, a growing number of farmers have agreed to trying these marketing methods going forward. Originally, only 1 in 5 respondents of the Purdue poll attended a virtual conference, but as the culture has adapted to the requirements of a pandemic, so will farmers. Now, 44% of ag professionals say they are interested in online sessions for the upcoming seasons.
Learn More: With Harvest at Hand, Farmers’ Coronavirus Thoughts Turn to Marketing
