August at
Hillsgreen

The official launch of our latest Marketing to Farmers report, strategic client work, two very different content shoots and 90 miles for a good cause: here’s what kept the Hillsgreen team busy in August. If one theme ran through August, it was getting closer to the work. We spent the month listening to farmers, exploring brands, filming on location and meeting people across agriculture and horticulture. Our latest research officially went live, client projects took us from meeting rooms to muddy fields, and one particularly colourful shoot proved how much content can be captured in just an hour. Here’s what happened behind the scenes.

When 1,255 Farmers Have Their Say

August marked the official launch of our Marketing to Farmers 2026/27 report.

The report is built from the views of 1,255 UK farmers and explores how they discover products, make purchasing decisions and decide which brands to trust.

It looks at the marketing channels farmers use, the content they value and the wider trends influencing agricultural and rural marketing. For businesses selling into the sector, the findings provide an evidence-based starting point for planning campaigns, choosing channels and developing messages that feel relevant to their audience.

The launch was an important milestone for the team following months of research, analysis, writing and design.

If you haven’t explored the findings yet, you can download the Marketing to Farmers 2026/27 report for free.

The Top 10 and Those Brownies

The research also gave us an opportunity to celebrate some of the people helping to shape conversations across agriculture.

We asked respondents which farming personalities they follow and enjoy hearing from. More than 30 names were mentioned, with a mix of familiar favourites and fresh faces making this year’s Most Popular Personalities Top 10.

We sent each of the Top 10 a small congratulations package. This included the now apparently very predictable Hillsgreen brownies, which seem to have become part of the furniture whenever we have something worth celebrating.

Beyond the brownies, the results demonstrate the importance of authentic voices in agricultural marketing. Farmers choose to follow people who understand the realities of their industry, communicate openly and have earned the confidence of their audience over time.

Strategy in the Room with Nettex

Not every project begins with a campaign idea. Sometimes the most valuable work starts by stepping back and asking bigger questions.

Ben, Shabawn and Lucy joined Nettex for a full brand identity workshop, covering its brand story, audiences, competitors, unique selling points, messaging and tone of voice.

The session considered how the individual products within the Nettex portfolio can contribute to stronger recognition of the overall master brand.

Establishing those foundations gives future activity a clearer direction. When everyone understands what the brand represents, who it is speaking to and what makes it different, campaigns can become more consistent and easier for customers to recognise.

What We Learned on the Road

August gave us several opportunities to get out of the office, hear directly from people across the industries we serve and capture new ideas along the way.

Cow Wellness at World Wide Sires

Jay, Meg and Shabawn travelled to Manchester for the World Wide Sires Annual Conference.

The programme focused on cow wellness and traits including health, longevity, performance and genetics. Alongside the presentations, the team caught up with World Wide Sires colleagues and captured fresh content from the day.

Technical events like this help us understand the conversations taking place within the sector. They also give us the opportunity to turn specialist subjects into useful, accessible content for a wider farming audience.

Innovation at the Four Oaks Trade Show

We also had a great morning at the Four Oaks Trade Show, where we caught up with people from across the horticulture industry and met plenty of new faces.

There were some genuinely interesting products and innovations on display. It was particularly valuable to see how businesses are responding and adapting after what has been a very challenging summer for the industry.

Conversations at events like Four Oaks provide a much clearer picture of the pressures businesses are facing, the opportunities they are pursuing and the areas in which innovation is making a practical difference.

Turning Time on Location into Campaign Content

Good content shoots do not always require days of filming or a large production crew. With a clear plan and the right setting, even a short session can generate a useful bank of creative assets.

August gave us two very different examples.

Beef Shorthorn in Macclesfield

Anna, Meg and Lenny headed to a farm in Macclesfield to capture new paid-social content for the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society.

The aim was to showcase the breed while creating fresh material for upcoming campaigns. The weather delivered plenty of rain, but the team still came away with a strong collection of authentic on-farm footage.

Content captured in a real farming environment gives audiences a much better sense of the cattle, the people and the story behind the breed than generic imagery ever could.

An Hour Among the Dahlias

Ash and Chloe swapped cattle fields for a rather more colourful location when they visited Heaton House Farm.

Their brief was to capture real footage of the farm’s dahlia-picking experience for an upcoming paid campaign. In around an hour, they collected enough material to produce multiple videos.

The shoot showed what careful preparation can achieve in a relatively short window. Arriving with clear messages, shot ideas and formats in mind meant the team could capture a variety of useful footage without overcomplicating the production.

It also gave the campaign a bank of genuine, experience-led creative rather than content that feels overly staged.

Lenny Gets Stuck In

The Beef Shorthorn shoot was also part of a busy week of work experience for Lenny.

During his time at Hillsgreen, Lenny worked with different members of the team and was introduced to several areas of marketing and agency life.

Rather than spending the whole week observing from the office, he joined Anna and Meg on location and had the opportunity to create some content himself.

The experience gave him a practical look at how ideas move from a brief to a real client project, as well as the teamwork involved behind the scenes.

Lenny has shared the full story in his own words. You can read about his week at Hillsgreen here.

Ninety Miles, Six Weeks and One Good Cause

August also brought the finish line of the Farm Business Survey’s 90 for 90 Challenge.

The challenge celebrated 90 years of the Farm Business Survey, with teams aiming to cover 90 miles and raise money for The Farming Community Network.

Over six weeks, the Hillsgreen miles came from walks, Parkruns, horse riding, dog walks and plenty of steps around agricultural shows. There was also a healthy amount of competition as everyone kept an eye on the leaderboard.

The Hillsgreen girls eventually came out on top, but the result that mattered most was the fundraising total.

Collectively, the challenge raised £3,620 for FCN, supporting its confidential, practical and pastoral work with farmers and farming families.

Thank you to everyone who took part, donated or cheered the teams on.

August’s Yield

Away from the cameras, conferences and workshops, our campaigns continued working hard for clients throughout the month.

Follow the Work as It Happens

August moved between research, strategy, content and time spent with the industries our clients operate in. That variety is one of the things we enjoy most about agency life.

For more client work, campaign results and a closer look at what happens behind the scenes, follow Hillsgreen on Instagram.