Agricultural marketing is a form of marketing that encompasses all goods and services related to the field of agriculture. All these products directly or indirectly support the effort to produce and deliver agricultural products from the farm to the consumer. The range of this type of marketing includes such varied products as real estate support, equipment used in cultivation and harvesting, storage facilities for harvested crops, and delivery services that transport the harvest to consumers. In addition, financial services that make it possible to secure products necessary for agriculture to function are also normally included as part of agricultural marketing.
Within this broad marketing type, just about every aspect of the agricultural process is addressed. Financial services make it possible for farmers to secure and develop property where crops can be planted, nurtured, and harvested. Equipment financing that makes it possible to obtain the tools to work the land is also part of this aspect. From there, resources that make it possible to connect with buyers are also part of the overall agricultural marketing process, and often involve the use of marketing professionals to identify and make the most efficient use of these types of business relationships.
Storage of harvested crops is also part of the agricultural marketing process. This is especially true when the crops involved are connected with futures contracts in the commodities market. Once harvested, the crops can be transported to storage facilities, where the holder of the contract can then arrange for their sale, making it possible to earn a return on the investment. The agri-marketing effort continues, allowing those investors to connect with buyers and complete transactions that are ultimately beneficial to all parties concerned.
As with most forms of marketing, agricultural marketing is focused on creating a viable product, identifying one or more groups of consumers who are likely to purchase that product, and then arranging the means to deliver that product to those consumers. Along the way, this involves careful consideration of which type of crops to plant, where to plant them, how to cultivate them to best advantage, and determining what type of price those crops can command once they are ready for sale. Shifts in customer preferences, changes in political climate, natural disasters, and even innovations in agricultural practices can all have an impact on exactly how the task of agricultural marketing is carried out. For this reason, the strategies and approaches used in one sector of the marketplace may be inappropriate for a different sector or targeted group of consumers, a fact that requires marketers pay close attention to market trends and respond to them in the most productive manner possible.
