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Study: Gen Z not brand loyal & not all going back to farm

A study of the next generation in agriculture shows brand loyalty isn’t what it has been for decades. Richard Fordyce, Chairman of O & B’s Ag Advisory Council, says the study found that Generation Z – 18 to 22-year-olds with an immediate family member in farming – are not necessarily going to choose John Deere equipment because their family has done so for years. Fordyce tells Brownfield Ag News, “They’re not necessarily putting a ton of value in, you know, family tradition. They’re looking at value. They’re looking at things like advice from their peers.” The study says that means Gen Z is more receptive to marketing messages.

And, while 70% of farming parents surveyed expected their Generation Z children to come back to take over the family farm, just 54% of that younger generation said that they would. “So,” Fordyce says, “The other 46% that were left, that said they probably did not intend to go back to production agriculture or go back to the form said that they DID find value in a degree in agriculture. And, they want to pursue a degree in agriculture, maybe in another form, another segment.”

Fordyce says the main reason the Gen-Z’ers listed for not wanting to go back to the family farm was the lack of a steady income.