Key takeaways
- Nexio Research Barometer 2026, conducted among 800 cereal growers between December and January, depicts a sector in transformation: pragmatic and financially cautious.
- 76% love spotting the latest trends, but only 35.5% say they are ready to invest in cutting-edge technology.
- 61.9% prioritise cutting costs, even at the expense of a little productivity, to bolster financial resilience and protect net margin.
- 61.5% have learnt new techniques in the past two years and 60.9% have undertaken professional training, with expertise becoming farms’ strategic asset.
- In 2026, technology is no longer bought for its own sake but as a solution to a problem, with value measured by the savings generated rather than the yield promised.
Hello everyone,
At Nexio Research, we spend a lot of time crunching numbers, cross-tabulating Excel columns and analysing panels. But behind every percentage in the 2026 Barometer (conducted among 800 cereal growers between December and January) there is on-the-ground reality, doubts and ambitions.
If we had to sum up our cereal growers’ mindset at the start of the year, we wouldn’t talk about crisis but about metamorphosis. We took a step back from our last five analyses to sketch the profile of the 2026 farmer. Spoiler: they are far more complex than you might think.
1. Curiosity switched on, chequebook closed #
This is the first paradox we uncovered. Our cereal growers are hungry for what’s new: 76% love tracking the latest trends [see our article on appetite for innovation].
Yet when it comes to getting out the chequebook for 'cutting-edge technology', only 35.5% say yes. The message is clear: they are alert, they read, they compare, but they are no longer taken in by gimmicks. In 2026, you don’t buy technology for its own sake; you buy a solution to a problem.
2. The big shift: margin over volume #
This is arguably the stand-out finding of the barometer: 61.9% of cereal growers prefer to cut costs, even if it means giving up a little productivity.
The 'produce ever more' creed has reached its limits. Today, the overriding priority is financial resilience. Better to protect net margin than chase the last few points of yield at the cost of soaring expenses. For agricultural input suppliers, this is a complete shift: your value is no longer judged on the yield you promise, but on the savings you deliver [read our analysis on the productivity vs cost trade-off].
3. The farm has become a classroom #
This is the hopeful note in this study. The 2026 farmer is a lifelong learner.
- 61.5% feel they have learnt new techniques over the past two years [read the article on upskilling].
- Better still, 60.9% have taken professional training [see the focus on training].
Farmers are no longer suffering agronomic transitions; they are training for them. Expertise has become farms’ new strategic asset.
What to take away (the Nexio Research view) #
Join the dots and you see a highly pragmatic business owner. They know they must change (they train), they want to know how (they scan the horizon), but they will not put their finances at risk (they cut costs).
For us at Nexio Research, the conclusion is clear: In 2026, you no longer 'sell' to cereal growers. You support them. You build confidence with evidence. You help them upskill. The salesperson of tomorrow will be the one who can turn a complex innovation into a simple, manageable lever for profitability.
About the author
Rebecca.P
Analyst at Nexio Research
Analyst at Nexio Research, specializing in strategic decision-making in agriculture and agri-tech.
