Corn Seed Resellers Can Influence Seed Brand Decisions – If They Do it Right

During the winter of 2019, Stratus interviewed over 500 corn farmers from the midwestern United States for the Corn Seed Focus360 report. The results from this survey highlight that although high profits and high yields are still the most important factors that a farmer considers when choosing which corn seed brand(s) to use, the relationship and interaction they have with their reseller has an impact on what they plant.

When it comes to corn seed, there are a lot of considerations a farmer needs to make as they weigh their options among the different brands. So how do they make the tough decision?

According to the farmers we surveyed, the most significant reason they considered and/or decided to use a corn seed brand was based off of a discussion they had with their reseller. In fact, 11% of farmers told us that they will completely ignore or reject a brand if it is not recommended by their seed dealer.

When we looked into the effectiveness of these reseller discussions we found that 88% of farmers will use a brand that comes highly recommended by their reseller. Their preferred type of discussion is one that focuses on the technical fit of the hybrids on their farm.

Having more discussions with a reseller increases the likelihood that a farmer will use a particular seed brand but also impacts the level of trust they have with that brand. What we found in this study is that the amount of trust more than doubles when it is discussed four or more times with their seed reseller.

Farmers will always have a lot of options when it comes to choosing corn seed brands. Having a trusted seed reseller goes a long way in helping to make decisions about what brands will lead to profitability and success on their farm, year after year. That means resellers need to continue to earn trust, through a focus on the technical aspects of hybrids and across many discussions with each customer.