Kindergarteners today won’t be retiring until 2082, did you know that? That can seem like a long way off. However, planning far ahead of time enables us to make better choices now for future generations.

It’s better to think about more than just the global trends affecting the farming sector this year. The plans also include those who will improve the lives of those kindergarteners when they graduate from college in 2040 and retire in 2082.

The mission is to rethink what is feasible and establish the foundation for our most ambitious and significant advancements in the food and agriculture sector. What trends are we focusing on this year that will influence and change agricultural and food production in the ensuing decades?

1. More people + less land = new farming and food production methods

Today’s global population isn’t what it used to be — not just in numbers but also in the places people call home.

The global population is growing at a rate of about 1% each year, and by 2030, the world’s population is expected to exceed 8.5 billion people. (For context, when I was born, our population was just 3.3 billion … and I’m not that old!)

A growing population needs more food — and more infrastructure, too, which reduces agricultural land. By 2030, we will have 2% less farmland than we do now, and we will have added more than 1 trillion square feet of additional building space. To put this into context, that’s more than building another New York City (including its five boroughs) every month from now to 2030!

We need to find new ways to harvest more food with less agricultural land, which could include anything from vertical farming methods to underwater farming.

2. Trusting your gut (health) with nutrient-packed foods

You know what they say … you are what you eat! Today’s consumers are prioritizing nutrition as the center of a balanced life, expanding their focus to include postbiotics, gut health, immunity, cognitive health and, of course, protein.

Protein is the world’s fastest-growing macronutrient. But while many of us are familiar with the primary sources of both animal and plant-based protein, we only consume 1% of the world’s edible plants. A wider range of options are waiting!

Figuring out the future of sustainable protein has been a huge passion of mine. Today, Cargill is looking at more plant-based protein sources — like peas, corn and wheat — as well as fermented sources like mycoproteins.

We’re also researching to better understand how bio-based processes can enhance gut health for people and animals. As a result, we see healthier animals (from shrimp to fish to cattle) and healthier people, thanks to solutions like EpiCor and sustainably produced stevia, a natural sweetener with zero calories.

And just like no two people have the same fingerprints, no two people have the same microbiomes, or the same nutritional needs. That’s why personalized nutrition will continue to drive innovation in food and nutrition.

3. Food that’s good for you and the planet 

Did you know that food production systems account for an estimated 26% of greenhouse gas emissions?

In the coming years, the food and agricultural industry will continue to shine a spotlight on sustainability, including promoting regenerative practices, protecting soil health and our water resources, supporting local farmers, reducing food waste and implementing better packaging and distribution practices.

These and other practices create positive change.

Cargill is focused on finding ways to reduce methane and other harmful gases in our environment by using science to help cattle digest their food more easily.

Read Also: The Importance of Supporting Local Farmers Markets

They’ll also continue important work to decarbonize how we grow and move the world’s food. This can look like more sustainable farming and agricultural practices to enable lower-carbon food, feed and fuel (hello again, regenerative agriculture!), using alternative energy, renewable fuel sources, and more.

4. Fueling the bioeconomy

With a bigger spotlight on sustainable agriculture practices in the coming years, resources that can be used (and re-used) with reduced waste will be the new standard. This might sound too good to be true, but it isn’t.

Introducing: the rise of the bioeconomy. Cargill plays an important role in the production of renewable, nature-derived resources that are front and center in the global bioeconomy. We are continuing to find opportunities to upcycle and reuse these materials as ingredients for food, feed, bio-based products, biofuel and biogas (with partners, of course)!

For example, right now at Cargill, they’re using corn dextrose as a feedstock to produce low-carbon biofuels and biochemicals — which could even help us create renewable gasoline, jet fuel and more down the line.

They also upcycle Hershey’s leftover chocolate into nutritious animal feed.

The most exciting part? Even more use cases like these are out there.

5. The rise of agriculture technology 

Agriculture technology can make the food and agriculture industry seamless and smarter, both on the farm and across supply chains. And tech-powered agriculture is on the rise, expected to grow by about $18 billion by 2027.

From solar-powered feed bins to high-flying drones that assist farmers in keeping an eye on cattle, we are always trying to find new ways to connect farmers with time-saving and resource-improving technologies.

Take Galleon™, the smart microbiome assessment platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and DNA sequencing to assess a chicken flock’s health — no guesswork necessary.

We also recently invested in Satelligence, a tool that uses AI to monitor land use and enables deforestation-free solutions across Cargill’s soy, palm oil and cocoa supply chains.

4 E-commerce Marketing Trends for Farms

E-commerce offers a unique opportunity to farms and ranches of all sizes. Selling online has both obstacles and opportunities. Farms and ranches can use a variety of e-commerce business strategies, based on what they sell, their target market, and their aims. If you’re thinking about selling online, there are several trends you may use to boost your farm’s e-commerce performance.

Now is the best moment to start selling your farm’s products online. E-commerce has been rapidly increasing year after year, with the grocery sector expected to become the largest by 2026. To sweeten the deal, direct-to-consumer (DTC) farm sales increased by 35% from 2019 to $10.7 billion in 2020.

If you’ve ever contemplated selling online, now is the time to get started. Furthermore, platforms such as Local Line make it easier than ever to set up an e-commerce store for your farm. Once your store is up and operating, you must find customers. These burgeoning farm marketing trends are your greatest hope for increasing e-commerce sales and introducing your farm and its narrative to prospective new clients.

1. Partnering with content creators

If you aren’t familiar with influencer marketing or the creator economy, now is an excellent time to learn more. Simply put, you partner with someone who makes content for a living or has a large online audience, such as a popular social media influencer. Social media for farms is evolving, and partnering with content creators can be a game-changer.

For example, an influencer agreement usually involves paying someone with a medium to large online following to create social media content using your products or partnering with them to be a brand spokesperson, building a more long-term relationship, and doing multiple monthly posts. Sometimes, these long-term relationships can involve business partnerships if the fit is right.

• Benefits of using social media content creators for farms

There are many advantages to collaborating with influencers and content creators for farms; benefits include:

• Leveraging their audience to bypass building your own audience from scratch.
• It will enable you to use their content for your farm without making it yourself.
• You don’t have to build trust from scratch, as their audience is already familiar with them and trusts what they have to say, hence why they follow them in the first place.  

You can quickly go from zero to hero if this is done well. This can be expensive to do with large creators (i.e., 100k followers or more), so if your budget is tight, you can focus on “micro” influencers (i.e., <10-25k followers). 

• How to find content creators to work with

Here are 5 simple steps to find and hire a content creator for your farm:

1. Identify your target audience and market.
2. List out your values and adjacent interests.
3. Draft out your ideal influencer agreement contract and terms.
4. Create a short list of the top content creators you want to work with. Search Instagram, Tik Tok and other relevant social media platforms for content creators that appeal to your target audience, market, values and interests. Tip: Use location search, keywords and hashtags to help find relevant content creators.
5. Direct message (DM) or email the top content creators on your short list and start negotiating the terms of your agreement.

Influencer outreach email template and example

Below is an example email or direct message you can send to influencers and content creators you want to work with.

“Hey ____, I wanted to introduce myself. I’ve been following you for a while, and your content really speaks to what we do on our farm. (Actually, cite a specific piece of content) Our farm has been looking to collaborate with creators like yourself to help us get the word out about “Value Prop”. Are you currently looking for more sponsorship opportunities?”

2. Getting interviewed on podcasts

Your story is unique, whether you think so or not. If you are a first-generation farmer or come from a long line of farmers in your family, your story matters. Today, there are thousands of podcasts actively looking for interesting guests to interview.

This may feel out of your comfort zone, but getting interviewed for a podcast episode can be a great marketing strategy for your farm. Not only can you connect with your podcast’s audience in a long-form way and build intimacy through authentic conversations, but you are also generating content you can repurpose on your social media pages. 

Find podcasts that align with your values and that have your ideal customer as their audience. With one interview, you can connect deeply with tens of thousands of individuals who are engaged and eager to listen, as the most loyal podcast fans seem never to miss an episode.

Being hosted on a podcast also helps you build credibility with your existing customers and audience, giving them a deeper understanding of who you are and what you do.

3. Creating a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand

Some farms and ranches around the country are taking advantage of e-commerce channels by value-adding what they grow and raise, such as creating consumer packaged goods (CPG) products to sell online. 

For example, Pretty Road Co. Farm Store turns their farm-grown lavender into a delicious London fog concentrate. This allows them to sell more of their lavender product and creates a more shelf-stable product that they could then ship to a broader audience.

Vertically integrating the value-added process onto your farm can be daunting and expensive, but the returns on the initial investment can be pretty outsized if executed effectively.

These value-added products are more shelf-stable than their raw counterparts, making them ideal for cross-selling and upselling to boost your order size, or selling online and shipping to broader markets. If done correctly, the pricing is almost entirely up to you. You have much more control over the pricing, especially if the value-added product is phenomenal compared to alternatives. 

This approach takes much strategy and forethought, along with marketing experience. Besides selling through e-commerce and finding customers online, your farm’s CPG product now has a better chance of being sold at retail grocery stores. Before moving down this route, ensure you understand the legal implications of processing your farm’s goods into a packaged product.

4. Practicing regenerative agriculture & educating consumers

I’m sure you have heard about the rise of regenerative agriculture in recent years. If you haven’t yet, check out our recent article about the principles and practices of regenerative agriculture.

This trend alone has shown promise to farms willing to take the extra step on their farm and integrate it into their marketing strategy! Regenerative farming is here to stay, and consumers are eager to hear more and shop from emerging brands and farms that practice it.

According to SPINS data, sales from regenerative products have soared 20% this past year. In addition, research by Grand View Research, Inc. estimates that the market size for regenerative products will grow 15% year over year from 2023 to 2030, reaching $2.9 billion USD.

There are currently a handful of third-party regenerative certifications that verify claims of ecological regeneration on farms, keeping the integrity of the marketing consistent with positive land outcomes. 

If you are a farm and looking for an edge in the market and your farm, you will want to look deeper into regenerative agriculture. It’s much more than a marketing ploy, but the benefits it can add to your storytelling and brand’s value are immense.