Internet: farmers still behind the curve

A recent release from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA, Washington DC) shows that the big change 2009 versus 2007 is that a significant percentage of producers moved from dail-up to more high-speed forms of internet. However, total growth of farmers online 2009 versus 2007 is very slow - almost flat in some categories. Here is a quote:

A total of 59 percent of U.S. farms now have Internet access, compared with 57 percent in 2007. Sixty-four percent of farms have access to a computer in 2009, the same level as 2007. The proportion of U.S. farms owning or
leasing a computer in 2009, at 61 percent, was up 1 percentage point from 2007. Farms using computers for their farm business increased 1 percentage point from 2007 to 36 percent in 2009.

When we look at larger operations or crop operations, the numbers are better, but they still generally do not rise above 70%. As Agri-marketers based in cities and towns, we become accustomed that everyone we know (except maybe gramma) uses a computer daily. In Agriculture, we need to remember that internet strategies, like all media choices, will reach a portion of the target group but not everyone. Proper media planning in Agri-Marketing involves looking at all media choices, online and offline, in order to assemble the winning combination. That is the challenge and the field of expertise of media planning.

BBM Update

Hi readers! If you've been following this blog, then you would know that BBM recently announced a change to their occupation category. What was previous "Farm / Farm Worker" has now been revised to "Working in Primary Industry", which means that crop and livestock producers have been grouped with workers in the forestry, mining and fishing industries. From an agri-marketers' perspective, primary industries are not a homogenous group; Therefore the data they now report on TV vieewership and radio listenership habits is in effect useless.

I did report previously that due to members' outrage, the RTC did recommend that the Primary Industry category be broken down further into Agriculture vs. Other Primary Industry for radio diary.

Now I have been informed that this issue will make it to the agenda for both the RTC and TVRC meetings to happen in September. With some luck BBM will reinstate the measurement of farmers on TV diary, and include farmer-specific measurement for the first time on metered data for both radio and television. Many thanks to everyone who called or emailed BBM directly or BBM member stations on this issue. I'll keep you updated.