Sep 8, 2010

FS managers presented with results of the 2010 Large Commercial Producer Study

Earlier this summer, FS Co-operative general managers and agronomy staff attended a meeting with Tom Funk of Agri Studies Inc. who presented the results of the Large Commercial Producer Study (LCPS) that took place in the winter of this year.

GROWMARK was one of 18 Canadian organizations that supported this project. The study was done in partnership with Agri Studies Inc (ASI) and Ipsos Forward Research (IFR) in co-operation with Top Crop Manager (TCM) and the Western Producer (TWP).

With over 500 respondents, the study targeted only those farmers whose main income was generated from farming crops including corn, soy, wheat, barley or canola, livestock and dairy, swine and poultry and included some comparison data on Hutterite colonies versus traditional farming practices.

The LCPS Study is a comprehensive survey of large farms in all parts of Canada. It focused on understanding the behaviours and attitudes of this important group and took a good look at the following key topics:
• Who are commercial producers?
• What do they want?
• How do they make buying decisions?
• How do they sell/market their products?
• How can they be reached?
• What are their management challenges?

Unlike market research that is focused on a specific product or issue, the LCPS took a higher level look at the underlying trends in the Canadian farm market. It not only revealed the data mentioned above but also shared some deeper analysis into what farmers are feeling in regards to their personal and business goals and what they value most.

“It was good to confirm that most of the main values and concerns coming from producers, based on this study, fit well with what the FS System is working to achieve for its customers, such as: increasing farmers’ profits, reducing their risk, becoming more competitive and making their lives easier,” says Frank Campbell, GROWMARK Ontario marketing director.

Campbell has organized an extensive workshop planned for Sept. 28 with the goal of developing key strategies for the FS System customized to specific markets.

Key findings from the study will be posted on GROWMARK eresource/marketing research after October 1st.
Tom Funk, Agri Studies Inc. provides GROWMARK and FS Co-operative managers with new facts about farmer trends.

No comments:

Post a Comment