CHALLENGING BLACK AND WHITE THINKING IN AGRICULTURE
Farm advisers and vets are technically brilliant. But technical knowledge alone doesn't create change on farm. The gap between good advice and real action on farms is almost always a people problem - not a knowledge problem. The Farm-Gate Influence Lab gives you the tools, language and confidence to close that gap. It's practical training in agricultural communication, behaviour change and farmer decision-making, built specifically for the realities of farm visits.
The Farm‑Gate Influence Lab is a 6‑week online course for farm advisers, vets, and ag sales/account managers who want to get better at the human side of change: pushback, family dynamics, decision-making, and follow‑through.
The next course will start on 1st June.
Weekly live calls will be at 7pm - 8pm on the:
8th June
15th June
22nd June
29th June
6th July
13th July
In this video, Amy Hughes introduces the Farm-Gate Influence Lab — a programme designed to help farm advisers build trust, handle objections and understand why farmers resist change. You'll get a feel for what the programme covers and whether it's right for you.
Amy Hughes is the founder of EmpowerAg and has spent her career working at the intersection of agriculture and human behaviour. With a background in veterinary nursing, cattle embryo transfer, and a postgraduate diploma in Agricultural Sciences from Harper Adams University, she understands farming from the inside out.
As former Head of Engagement at AHDB, Amy spent years trying to get research and best practice into the hands of farmers - and watching great advice fail to land. That experience is what led her to specialise in the human side of farm business: communication, conflict, decision-making and resilience.
The Farm-Gate Influence Lab is built on everything she's learned about what actually works when you're standing in a farmyard trying to help someone change.
This course is built around a simple arc:
Most CPD for farm advisers focuses on what to say. This course focuses on how to have the conversation so that something actually happens afterwards.
The Farm-Gate Influence Lab is grounded in behavioural science - specifically, the research behind why people resist change even when they know it would help them. On farms, that resistance often looks like "I'll think about it," a conversation that goes in circles, or a recommendation that gets quietly shelved.
Understanding the psychology behind a farmer's "no" changes everything. When you know whether someone is protecting their identity, their sense of control, their reputation or their certainty - you can respond in a way that actually moves things forward. No pressure. No persuasion. Just better conversations that lead to real decisions.
Plan for roughly:
No. All calls are recorded and shared with delegates afterwards.
No. It’s practical, plain-English, and designed for real farm conversations where time is tight and stakes are high.
Yes, this is for everyone, including people who are already decent and want to be consistently effective when conversations get tense, stuck, or political.
Can I get an invoice for CPD/training budget?
Yes. You'll receive a certificate of completion that you can use as evidence of CPD hours for most professional bodies. If you need a specific format, get in touch and we'll do our best to help. This course qualifies for ROSA points.
The principles taught in this course apply across all farm types. The psychology of change doesn't change depending on the enterprise. You'll find it relevant whether you work with arable farmers, livestock producers or mixed farms.
Yes — group bookings are available. Get in touch at amy@empowerag.co.uk to discuss team pricing and options for bespoke delivery.
