b'an immediately re-gained invest- ing up with changing communica- Leaving a Legacyment, whether the change is seed,tions trends is a challenge, it canThe later in life older farmers remain as primary strategy, or equipment-related. help companies reach audiencesdecision-makers, the harder it is for their children and A reluctance to change isnteasier. grandchildren to find their place on the farm. always an irrational decision, ZulafWhen you think about socialFor Robinson, the biggest risk in an aging agricul-says. If the benefits to the costmedia, its very image-based andtural workforce is a lack of knowledge transfer between of change dont exceed that costwe can engage with them daily,generations. He believes younger generations need a even when successful, those oldermore than just a phone all or a face- long transition period for knowledge transfer to have generations are less likely to maketo-face conversation that we reliedthe best chance of success. that change. on 20 years ago, Welch says.Media and Messaging Encouraging New GenerationsWelch says the tools Syngenta usesRobinson says its important toWith farm management, so much of that are different depending on theremember that while they may not generation they are working with.seem to be at the forefront of tech- success is finding what works for yourOn these multigenerationalnology to outsiders, most modernoperation, on your land, and companiesfarms, we need to meet themfarms are using significantly where they want to be communi- advanced equipment and inputs. have to understand that. cated with, he says.There is a misconception that Carl ZualfFor younger farmers, Syngentaagriculture is stuck in the middle of has found more custom options tothe 20th century, Robinson says. I be better. like to point out to young people We have found they are morethat if they are interested in apply- With only one crop a year, farmers cant afford to likely to engage within an interac- ing a new technology to make thelearn through trial and error alone, he says.tive app or other digital tool, Welchworld better, agriculture is usuallyWhile modern equipment facilitates this transition, says. the first place where new technolo- there is still a knowledge transfer gap that could impact This understanding helps seedgies find commercial applications. the future of farming. companies tailor messaging toHe noted GPS, statistical meth- As a seed company, this knowledge transfer gap communicate more effectively. odologies, and advanced sensorsforces us to prioritize products with broad adaptation For older generations, thatand analytics used on machinery asover products that excel in niche environments and often means phone calls, email,being applied in agriculture beforemanagement practices that can maximize productiv-text messaging, and even socialbeing integrated into other aspectsity, Robinson says.media. Even those older genera- of everyday life. Even biotechnologyHe says farming used to be romanticized with tions of farmers are using Facebookand gene editing were commer- images of hard work paying off through a crop grown daily, many of them have their owncially applied in agriculture beforeto help feed the world, but while the goal is still the Facebook pages, now, as well,their use in healthcare. Youngsame, farming is now dominated by the drive for effi-Welch says.people with interests in new tech- ciency through size. Understanding this difference may When factoring in wherenologies should look to agriculturebe the key to protecting the future of modern agricul-younger audiences spend timeas a way to use or deploy thosetural. online, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter,technologies, Robinson says.Remember, when were talking about older farm-and Tic Tok are also important plat- Welch agrees that technologyers, were talking about survivors. And part of what forms to consider.is one of the best ways to attractdetermines survival is how passionate you are, so its Robinson agrees platform con- graduates to agriculture.not a behavioral surprise that older farmers are quite siderations are important.Our digital tools are really wellpassionate, Zulaf says. Most people would expectsuited for multigenerational opera- Young people are passionate too, but perhaps not the growing age of farmers wouldtions and we are looking to thatalways about the same things. Sustainable farming, mean we should spend less timenext generation for what featurestechnology, specialized end markets, advanced traits, on marketing and communicationsthey want to see, Welch says. Thisand efficiency may be more exciting to new farmer. through social media, but asidecreates excitement for them toI dont think there will be one solution to address from some platform differenceswant to be a part of the farm. Theythe root of the problem, but rather a myriad of across age groups, digital marketingare already comfortable using aapproaches that will each provide motivation to its own is still useful across almost all ages,lot of these tools and can help theset of the younger generation, Robinson says.Robinson says.operation be more efficient or growIts up to us to match that passion with effective com-Welch believes that while keep- better crops. munication. The future of farming depends on it. SW40/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2021'