Granted, the big unpredictable orange turnip across the pond is making international trade a bit of rollercoaster at present while he does everything he can to distract from THAT list, but there are still opportunities to be had.
With everything from tariff tantrums and full-on wars disrupting supply chains and causing turmoil, Trump is ensuring the only thing any of us can predict is unpredictability.
Nobel Peace Prize hopeful Trump continues to wage war on a variety of fronts, and the global order has been turned upside down. The result is that the spotlight is firmly back on food security once again.
In the background of all of this, the global agriculture sector is quietly reshuffling. UK companies are looking outward for new opportunities, while international businesses are looking toward markets like the UK and Europe for stability.
And that’s where strategic PR and marketing can play a surprisingly powerful role.
Agriculture has always been international, but we are seeing seismic shifts in global politics and economics at breakneck speeds. Today, a single Truth Social post clumsily pulled together in a blur of ranting capital letters can make entire markets dip and dive.
New tariffs, trade restrictions and regulatory hurdles are being hastily redrafted around the world while ongoing geopolitical arguments disrupt supply chains, commodity flows and export routes.
For agriculture businesses, this creates both risk and opportunity. With once attractive markets suddenly becoming difficult to access or too unstable to risk, other markets are suddenly opening up.
We are seeing this in the enquiries we receive, UK businesses are exploring new markets while international companies are looking to the UK and Europe for some sanity. We work across multiple international markets with a range of international clients and there is literally a world of opportunity out there.
The UK has always been seen as a stable option for international trade. Shifts in Government and policy typically happen slowly and predictably, and the UK has a world-leading service economy and well-recognised standards that translate across multiple markets.
With turbulence in global politics, this only enhances the appeal of the UK to international agriculture and agritech businesses.
Another key strength is that the UK can be used as a launchpad to access the huge EU market, acting as a strategic base to run campaigns in multiple countries across Europe.
Crucially, the UK has a strong reputation in agricultural science and innovation, ensuring international companies can access world-class expertise to further enhance their products, technology or services.
For international companies seeking credibility and visibility in Europe, establishing a presence in the UK can be a smart first step.
But opportunity alone isn’t enough. Businesses still need to understand whether their product, technology, or message will resonate in a new market.
That’s where PR and marketing come in.
Breaking into a new international market doesn’t always have to start with distributors, offices, agricultural trials and a major investment. Sometimes the first step is simply telling your story.
Strategic PR and marketing allows businesses to test new markets in a relatively low-risk way. If your story, expertise, or solution captures attention in the local agricultural media or becomes a talking point in the local industry, it can signal genuine interest from that market.
Think of it as market reconnaissance through storytelling.
However, one valuable lesson we can learn from Trump (aside from go easy on the tanning lotion) is that strategy is key.
Famed general and strategist Sun Tzu once said: “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Trump’s Iran campaign is the perfect example of this. The “Epic Fury” assault on Iran created a huge amount of noise and destruction at the beginning but had no strategy beyond that and now serious questions are being raised about how the war will end and will anybody be able to claim any sort of victory?
PR and marketing campaigns are all too often guilty of the same. They’ll generate a lot of noise and impact, but either miss the mark or then fail to follow through because they lack a clear strategy.
In agriculture, credibility really matters no matter which market you are in. Buyers and partners want to see expertise, proof of results, real-world examples and industry recognition before they commit to new suppliers or technologies. Strategic PR helps create that visibility and then cement your position as a potential partner.
Another reason why PR can be a powerful way to test out and break into potential new markets around the world is that global agriculture shares many of the same challenges.
Whether it’s feeding the growing population of a country, tackling soil health and climate change or increasing livestock and crop productivity sustainably, farmers and growers are looking for answers.
This means agricultural innovation travels quickly across borders. For example, we have already seen new farming technology developed in New Zealand being enthusiastically adopted by dairy farmers in the UK or water saving technology developed in the UK grabbing major attention in the arid regions across the Middle East.
Sector press, conferences, and digital platforms help to create a global conversation where good ideas can spread rapidly and start to build demand before you even enter a country.
With the dawn of the Trump era, truth became optional and when we talk about storytelling, we aren’t talking about fiction. Now, more than ever, genuine and truthful conversations coupled with social proof are key.
In uncertain times, businesses that communicate clearly, confidently and honestly will stand out. Farmers, growers, businesses and even entire countries are seeking viable agricultural solutions in a time of global turmoil.
For agribusinesses it means telling the story of your solution or innovation and helping different agricultural communities to understand how it will benefit them and fit into their own growing systems.
Every company will have a story to tell and, crucially, they will have customers who can talk about their own experiences of using the product or service. These are the most powerful voices in PR, the farmers who can bring real-world experience to the story. It doesn’t even matter if they are from a different country – farmers want to hear real voices and stories from other farmers. This is where you start to build trust.
By putting together a well-crafted narrative, supported with real voices, your business can communicate across borders.
I won’t go into the mechanics of international PR in this blog as I’ve helpfully done that in this earlier blog called: International PR for agribusinesses – how to target media organisations overseas.
However, I will address the common misconception that you need major investments to scale internationally. The reality is that, by using PR and marketing, you can take small, low-risk steps into new markets.
This can be as simple as working to secure coverage in international industry media, snagging a speaking spot at an overseas conference or running a targeted digital campaign aimed at a specific market (talk to my colleague Antony Smith about using digital campaigns!).
PR and marketing can support each of these steps, helping businesses build credibility before committing to deeper investment. Over time, those early signals of interest can evolve into meaningful commercial opportunities.
“May you live in interesting times” has been used as a curse for at least a century and Trump appears to be using it as his manifesto for 21st century life. However, the agriculture sector is no stranger to uncertainty. From the whims of the weather and commodity markets to major challenges like climate change and supply chain chaos, agricultural continues to grow, adapt and survive.
Trump’s new world order may be shaking things up as he desperately attempts to cling to power, but people in agriculture have endured far worse. Farmers adapt, markets adjust and innovation will always march forward.
For business leaders in the agricultural and horticultural sectors in the UK and overseas there is still enormous opportunity. The only change is that we may need to look to new markets rather than the once trusted partners of old.
Sometimes the first step toward a new market isn’t a trade deal or a distribution agreement. Sometimes it’s simply telling your story in the right place.
And right now, despite the noise erupting from the new Trump Tower at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the global agriculture conversation is wide open.
