7 Trends That Will Affect your Farm Business in 2025
Overview
Each year on the Farm can be full of changes and challenges. It is crucial to prepare for what may lie ahead in the coming seasons. As an independent Farmer, you must raise and harvest quality products, and market, sell and fulfill Buyer orders to build a robust business. Successful Farmers and industry experts have shared their predictions for what is to come in 2025. See the top 7 Key Trends that you can expect to impact your Farm Business in 2025 below:
1. MAHA will Go Mainstream
Americans are growing increasingly aware of the importance of where their food comes from, and 2025 will see momentum increase on this front. With the upcoming federal administration changes, there will be more focus on the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. The importance of Local Food has become a part of this mainstream conversation, leading more Buyers to search for alternatives to Big Agriculture and Big-Box Grocers. Buyers are becoming increasingly distrustful of Mega-Brand Food Conglomerates and the deleterious impacts on their Chronic Health. Your Farm can position itself within your community (at Markets, pick-up and delivery locations or other events), to attract new customers, educating them on health benefits of sustainably-grown food.
2. “Regenerative” Agriculture will Become an Expectation of Local Farmers
Fueled by MAHA, and increased awareness of Agriculture Advisors (e.g. Joel Salatin), and Medical Experts (e.g. Casey Means) advocating healthy “inputs”, local Buyers will demand regenerative agriculture practices from Food producers. As Buyers become more aware of what is put into their food and how it is raised, they will seek out sustainable food from local Farmers. It is important for your Farm to be transparent about your practices in your marketing efforts. Your Farm website, social media presence and newsletters are prime places to share your practices and the differences between commercial operations and your independent Farm business.
3. Local Farm Brands will Gain Prominence
Buyers will be seeking to connect with local Farms with a strong Brand identity in their communities, similar to the strong demand for Local Microbreweries. Your Farm Brand is reflected through your marketing (online and in-person), messaging and products. Your Brand should be consistent throughout your marketing (language, values, logo) and your products (convenience, packaging, fulfillments). A Farm Brand will act as a personality, and will give your Buyers something to relate to and increase loyalty.
4. AI will Increasingly Erode SEO
AI became a huge topic of conversation in 2024, and that will not change in the coming year. While AI is changing the landscape of many industries, it is important for Farmers to understand the negative effects it can have on SEO (search engine optimization) for local brands. While SEO used to be key for ranking highly, now AI Overviews at the top of search results have eroded search volume by 25%+ (and that is predicted to continue), which is effectively “kingmaking” major content publishers.
In 2025, search volume will continue to be diminished by AI-powered search results, eroding the value of search engine optimization for local Farmers. As AI’s effects on search change daily, it will be important to stay vigilant in producing a diversity of relevant content on a regular weekly cadence, if you want SEO to catapult your Farm to the top of the search results. Assuming your Farm doesn’t want to become a “Content Publisher,” it will be important for your business to lean into direct marketing (email, social) and in-person efforts.
5. AI will Supplement Farm Content Marketing
There are many ways that AI will help Farms in their direct marketing efforts, including send automation, scheduling, automatic posting and caption creation. Savvy Farmers will leverage more AI-powered tools to improve their marketing strategy, namely with respect to content marketing - subject lines, email and social media assets. Various AI solutions can enable you to choose posting and send time automations that will occur at peak interaction times, to ensure your social posts and emails are viewed at opportune times for Buyers. This will result in higher metrics, leading to more store conversions.
6. Authenticity will Build Loyalty
As AI-generated content continues to increase in 2025, it will be crucial for your Farm to remain true to your values and mission in your marketing efforts. AI will lower the playing field and quality of content (so be careful about using AI content too aggressively). Buyers will know when your content feels disingenuous, and will find it unattractive compared to a human response. Real, authentic content and in-person engagement in real life (IRL) canNOT be replaced by a computer and will supersede AI-generated assets. Buyers want to see real images of you and the Farm, hear from the Farmers that grow their food and interact with someone who can answer their questions.
Utilize community members and in-person events/interactions to create more human content and promote IRL connections. User-generated videos, on-Farm pictures and in-person Events will rise above the noise to attract Buyers and build loyalty. While there are many advantages to using AI to save time on your tasks (e.g. namely content ideas and send time automations), there is a line for when AI can become a turn off for your customers (e.g. AI-generated images, videos and content).
7. Convenience will Prevail
In an Amazon-era of shopping, convenience will prevail. You must give Buyers a simple and easy way to shop that fits into their schedule and daily routines. Buyers will opt for the most convenient options when it comes to accessing Local Food, such as nearby pick-ups in their local loop, or deliveries to their doorstep. Your products must be easy to purchase (online and in-person) and fulfill (pick-ups and direct delivery) to fuel growth with Buyers seeking Local Food options. If there is an alternative that will save your customers time (and take less effort), they will choose that option. Make your Farm simple and convenient, and market the various ways Buyers can purchase from you to capture every available sale (online and in-person).
Conclusion
This year, it will be important to focus on making your Farm business streamlined and convenient for Buyers. Build loyalty with customers through transparent marketing that highlights your products and sustainable practices that set your Farm apart from Big Agriculture and Big Food brands. With current trends focusing on regenerative agriculture and sustainable practices, independent Farms will have the opportunity to attract local Buyers to expand their customer base. With software built with your business in mind, Barn2Door can help your Farm serve more Buyers while saving time and simplifying your efforts in 2025.
Barn2Door offers software for Independent Farmers to create and promote their brand, sell online and in-person, and save time managing their business. If you’re curious to learn more, watch this 5-minute video.