Global Farmer Survey Highlights Profitability, Innovation, and Technology Adoption

AgriWebb, creator of the world’s leading digital livestock business management solution trusted by over 11,500 farmers who manage more than 20 million animals worldwide, today launched its inaugural flagship annual report, the 2022 State of the Global Farmer Survey. The report shares key global and national producer trends that shed new light on what matters most to producers globally  and how today’s collective outlook is shaping the future of the livestock industry. 

The 2022 State of the Global Farmer Survey engaged 645 global producers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It explored producer perspectives on a wide range of business-critical themes including animal management, tech adoption, marketing and selling animals, grazing practices, industry horizon predictions, and more. 

The report showcases new proprietary insights gleaned from AgriWebb’s 10,000+ global producer database on trends, such as global pricing benchmarks, animal health best practices, and seasonal trends.

For instance, Lori Conrow, Director of Ranching Operations at SunFed Ranch recently shared how, “consumers demand more insight as to where their beef comes from, how the animal was treated and was the earth made a better place through cattle grazing protocols. In addition, the responsibility as a high attribute beef producer is to offer a window into full production transparency, cattle source traceability, and world-class third-party attribute verification.” 

Key findings from the AgriWebb 2022 State of the Global Farmer Survey, comparing results from the regions surveyed, include:

Profitability, herd and operational efficiency, grazing innovation remain global priorities

• Top priorities for the US. producers fell in line with global trends: These priorities include  improving profitability (49.2%), improving herd efficiency (33.8%), improving operational efficiency (30.8%), and grazing innovation (26.2%).

Technology innovation on the rise across the board

• Technology is central in modern farming as less than 10 percent of global respondents rated better use of farm or ranch management technology as “not a priority,” and over 84% of farmers stated that they are already embracing digital record keeping.
• Over 66% of global respondents and 65% of U.S. respondents believe tech adoption is vital to their future success. In the U.S., areas where current tech adoption is strongest include digital record keeping (81.3%), accounting and  finance (75.4%), animal management (55.4%),business planning and management (41.5%), and grazing management (40%).
• Australia leads the global pack in overall  tech adoption, but more notably in its use of technology for grazing management and planning with 50.6% of Australian respondents citing the use of technology in this field, compared to 40.0% in the U.S. and 39.7% in the U.K.

Direct to consumer is trending hot in the US

• An indication that there is still speculation in the beef market supply chain can be seen in that 38.5% of U.S. ranchers surveyed stated that they sell some or all of their cattle direct to consumers, compared to 13.4% in Australia and 23.7% in the U.K.
• Self-reported U.S. producer predictions for the future of the livestock industry point to a hyper- focused consumer approach. Smaller, more diversified operations concentrating on product differentiation and value-added premiums, greater commitment to telling “the where and how” of the food production story, and a paradigm shift toward a focus on direct-to-consumer marketing. comprise the primary current of feedback from U.S. producers

Carbon farming may have buzz, but it’s more talk than action right now

• While the hype around carbon farming practices abounds, 38.5% of U.S. producer respondents said carbon was “not a priority,” while only 4.6% noted carbon sequestration practices and carbon market participation a “top priority
• Only 23% of U.S. producers stated they are involved in or actively preparing to participate in carbon and other natural resource markets, while 27% “want to, but don’t know how to get started.” 
• The challenges of carbon farming can’t be overlooked, as 50% of respondents said they don’t plan on entering carbon or other natural resource markets in the near term.

Kevin Baum, CEO of AgriWebb, said: “The latest agricultural revolution is a digital one. With changes and demands on the industry coming faster than ever before, data is a tool that can not only help the farmer keep up, but also help them get ahead. We believe in farmers who work together to improve the industry and bring the power back to where it all begins - on the farm. Therefore we’ve put together our first annual “State of the Farmer” report to help bring producers together to understand where things are going, what is working and what we can do to get ahead.”