The Spring Rush: What Farmers Are Up Against

This Week In Ag #109

Farmers are always thinking about our products.” I’ll never forget those words, uttered by an old client of mine. She worked for a large life sciences company. We were launching a pre-emergence corn herbicide, to a market saturated with them. I thought she was joking. She wasn’t. I told her that in the hierarchy of thoughts occupying a farmer’s mind, pre-emergent herbicides barely registered. Adding that we had already spent more time thinking about them during our meeting than most farmers do all year. To be fair, she isn’t the only one to share this flawed view. Few occupations require more versatility, or have more irons in the fire, than farming. That’s why I’ve long advocated that anyone marketing to farmers considers not just the product they are selling, and what challenge or opportunity it may address, but what impact it will have on their entire operation – from soil to software, labor to logistics. Because that’s how farmers think. As the calendar turns to April, we’re entering the busiest – and most critical time – of the year. Soon, planters will be rolling across the Midwest, as they currently are in the deep South. On any given day, farmers will be planting, tilling, spreading or spraying, and on many days all of the above. In doing so, they’ll be deploying labor, mixing chemicals and fertilizers, coordinating fleets of tractors, tender wagons, seed handlers, sprayers and planters from field to field. Tile lines may need to be repaired. Equipment will require service and inevitably repairs. All of this, as they keep a close watch on the weather and markets. And those with cattle may be finishing up the calving season. Of course, naïve marketers are not the only ones who underestimate a farmer’s crowded head space. So do many motorists, who lose patience along roadways when they encounter farm equipment, as well as the farmers themselves. Too often, in the rush to get crops planted and nurtured, safety is neglected. That’s why farming continues to rank among the most dangerous occupations. The springtime crunch is further exacerbated by Mother Nature.  Last year across Iowa, from April 2 to June 17, only 35 suitable days for field work were reported, compared to the average of 41 days. That means farmers must make the most of every day. So when you visit with farmers this spring, instead of finishing your conversations with “Good luck” or even “Goodbye”, please tell them to “Be safe.”