The National Association of Farm Broadcasting recently released its latest Internet Usage Study. Cindy spoke with Ted Haller at their convention and I thought I’d have a chat with him about it too since the organization sent our a release on it last week. You can download a pdf with some of the key findings of the study on their website (pdf).
The survey explores producer activity and preferences in accessing the Internet for agricultural business information, as well as use of texting and social media. Specific to broadcaster interests, it also probes interest in e-newsletters and the preferred content of agribusiness-focused Web sites.
Among key findings noted by Haller in the new research:
- the Internet is revealing “quintiles” of usage — a sign of what Haller calls “settling,” with indications of core usage in the low range of 20 percent and the high range of 50 percent, depending upon the specific online behavior/activity surveyed
- those producers using the Internet are very active, for the most part, with e-mail, weather, markets, and futures the top draws
- unlike other media, “what I do not do” is still a larger number than “what I do;” but the “I do’s” appear to be in normal quintiles and represent an attractive target
Agribusiness marketers and agencies interested in specific demographic detail or a customized presentation should contact Ted Haller at teddymedia@live.com. Association member broadcast organizations interested in learning more about how the NAFB Internet Usage Study© may benefit their cross-media programming strategies and local business development can contact Mike Parry at mike@nafb.com.
As you’ll hear Ted say in our conversation, traditional media options like radio will not go away. However, the use of the internet by farmers will only continue to grow and these numbers are proof of that. He also describes how useful the internet is now to companies with a limited budget and those who have a “big budget” and are now spreading it across more media options.
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