YOUNGER Australians might be at the forefront of the nation’s digital revolution, but when it comes to really knowing what goes on in the bush farmers of all ages actually rely on print media.
Despite the internet age’s promise of widespread digital connectivity, almost 90 per cent of farmers aged 18- to 39-years regard themselves as habitual readers of weekly print publications servicing the agricultural sector such as The Land and Queensland Country Life.
In fact, younger farm owners and managers are more likely to be readers of agricultural publications than those in the 40- to 54-year age group (79pc), according to latest Quantitative Agricultural Research Survey (QARS) research.
The farming lifestyle and farmers’ widely varied working conditions, plus a continuing lack of useful internet access in much of rural Australia, remain key reasons for the preference for print according to Fairfax agricultural research manager, Karen Rogers.
While many Australians grew increasingly digitally dependent on an internet-based world of online movie channels, Facebook contacts and “cloud”-based data networks, life in the bush still had many digital reality checks, as highlighted by the survey.
The QARS report, which takes the pulse of broadacre farm decision makers with gross incomes typically averaging at least $300,000 a year, has documented farm consumer habits every three years for the past two decades.
From 800 respondents interviewed by Fairfax Agricultural Research and Marketing (FARM), the latest survey showed 36pc of Australian broadacre farm bosses had university or tertiary college education qualifications (on par with the national average), although the figure was up to 48pc in NSW.
More than half the respondents aged 25 to 29 had university degrees or postgraduate qualifications.
QARS found Australia’s average farm owner/manager was 55 years old, or 17 years older than the average Australian, with 82pc of respondents having no immediate retirement plans.
Almost 40pc of farms had an enterprise succession plan in place while 28pc were working on developing a next generation succession strategy.
Highlighting some of the isolation challenges of regional living, including access to modern education technology networks, the survey found 53pc of respondents had children attending a private or boarding school and only 12pc of tertiary students completed their higher education via remote learning courses.
Ms Rogers said the survey showed a remarkable consistency in ag sector trends when it came to farmers sourcing information about their industry.
State-based publications in Fairfax Media’s agricultural stable had retained their readership reach at around 80pc of their potential farmer audience since 1989.
The current national average is at 78pc, with South Australia’s Stock Journal newspaper reaching 91pc of farm owners or managers every week.
Readers were spending an average of 64 minutes a week reading their state agricultural publication, on average over three sittings.
Interestingly, readership tended to be highest among top end and innovative producers with farm incomes of about $1m-plus a year.
However, about 28pc of farmers also followed their state-based farm newspaper website, with 71pc clicking on to check on daily agricultural news and 46pc following market reports.
Only 18pc of online readers did not read print media publications.
“For all sorts of reasons relating to inadequate connectivity, lifestyle and geographic factors, rural industry media consumption habits are not changing nearly as rapidly as many people might expect in the digital age,” Ms Rogers said.
“That’s hardly surprising when you consider a farmer’s workplace is mostly outside and on the move.
“Unlike most working Australians, they’re not spending much time at a desk in front of a computer, and they’re unlikely to be regularly catching up with workmates or friends to discuss breaking news issues during the day.
“When they do access the internet it’s often not until late in the day when their focus is on doing business first.
“Or in many cases in remote areas like North Queensland or South Australia, reliable internet access for business or education is restricted to the very late, or very early, hours between 1am and 6am.”
Andrew Marshall
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
