Index:
Overview
Influence Erosion
The relationship still matters, but the relationship changes.
Manufacturers
Retailers and Edge Case Opportunities
Overview
This week, McKinsey shared its McKinsey Global Farmer Insights 2026 survey report. In the 2026 edition, there is coverage of farmer tech adoption, biological use and insight surrounding GenAI.
One area I think stood out with the most apparent change that I think is less emphasized within the industry, but gets at something I have highlighted within Upstream before that needs to be considered:
If the farmer's first source is no longer a person, what is the advisor's role in the conversation that follows? How do they add value? How do they become the go-to person for what comes next?
Influence Erosion
I covered the earlier implication of this dynamic in Influence Erosion.
The basic aspects are that the share of the agronomic decision the retail used to control by virtue of being the only readily available source has been shrinking for well over a decade. GenAI is increasingly a component of accelerating that erosion, moving from this:
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