Opportunity in Suburbia
Posted in Agriculture, Government
I’m in Newport, Rhode Island today to deliver the closing keynote address at the Farm Credit Corporations 2011 National Directors Conference. The title of my presentation is “Preparing for the Future: A Steep Unlearning Curve.”
As I wrote on my other website today, change is the only constant. It is a message I intend to reiterate to my audience today. One way to prepare for this change is to constantly view the world from a different perspective.
To this end, I’m going to encourage them to look to new markets. One surprising future market might be found in suburbia. As this WSJ article explains, a number of developers are now seeking to exploit people’s growing interest in raising food on smaller suburban lots.
It’s a great opportunity to reach a new market of people. The big question is whether agriculture bankers can unlearn the idea that their customers only live in rural areas.