Gift Ideas for that hard to buy for farmer in your life

Dec 16, 2014

Online Gifts in Agriculture

by Denise Faguy, Farms.com

Looking for something thoughtful yet practical to give the farmer in your life? Like many people, farmers often prefer practical gifts. Sometimes gifts related to the farm business may be the perfect gift, gifts the farmer may not want to “treat” themselves to, but they will still appreciate.

As we get closer to Christmas, and last minute online shopping is your only option, try the following gift ideas.

Get them a paid subscription to an expert who follows the markets. Most farmers are great at the day-to-day operations of their farms, and planning for the year ahead. They are, however, often intimidated by the commodities markets. Yet most commodity experts believe farmers could easily increase the profits on their farm by watching the markets more closely, and booking their crop/livestock or feed prices at the right time. A newsletter subscription that simplifies this market information could be the perfect gift. Farms.com Risk Management offers such subscriptions, but of course, there are many such offerings offered in the agriculture industry – choose the subscription that best meets the needs of the farmer.

A registration to an agricultural conference may also be a gift that will be appreciated well after the holidays are finished. Are they farmer a member of a particular association that has one or more conferences or seminars? Have they mentioned that they would like to improve in a particular area, or explore a new crop or farming technique, is there a conference registration that could help them fulfill that goal? Precision agriculture is the latest trend in agriculture, here is a list of precision agriculture conferences in North America:

Why not buy them a subscription to a farm magazine – maybe an international farm magazine to give them a different perspective on farm issues. There are also a number of free electronic newsletters on agriculture. (View all Farms.com free agriculture subscriptions.)

Has the farmer been trying to sell a piece of farm equipment? Buy them a classified ad in a local farm publication.

Is there an agriculture software program that would make their life easier? Get them the software.

When all ideas have been exhausted, or when you want to add one more gift under the Christmas three for the farmer in your life who has everything, consider making a donation in their name to a farm charity.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.