Seedbed: Separating the wheat from the chaff in product claims

Some tips to help you look critically at the glossy literature and all the product claims to see whether they really represent something that will work on your farm

by KEITH REID

The mailbox is heavy with brochures and flyers, full of glowing product claims, as each company works hard to get your business.

If all these claims were true, your yields would be sure to break all records, but if they’re not true, does that mean that all marketing departments are liars?

We do have laws to protect us from outright fraud, so there has to be some support for the claims being made, but the job of a marketer is to present their product as favourably as possible. Your job is to sort out which of the many choices are best for your operation.

Better Farming January 2008