Starting off his journey on the West Coast, Clayton Lind didn’t grow up on a farm but his path into agriculture was anything but conventional. After relocating to Iowa in 2020 during the pandemic, he began working directly in the fields, gaining firsthand experience of how essential the food system is to everyday life.
With a growing passion for storytelling and business, Clayton launched Atlas Media Group. A digital marketing agency dedicated solely to agriculture. From social media and video production to influencer campaigns, Atlas Media helps ag brands better connect with the next generation and modernize their message.
Today, Clayton leverages his unique blend of field experience and marketing expertise to bridge the gap between traditional ag and innovative communication. As the Founder and CEO of Atlas Media Group, he focuses on elevating the industry’s voice through creative, forward-thinking strategies.
With his deep understanding of both agriculture and digital marketing, he shared grounded, experience-driven insights on AgTech, the evolution of ag marketing, and what it will take to truly move the industry forward.
Bakhtiar: What inspired you to start Atlas Media Group?
Clayton Lind: I used to farm. Moving to Iowa flipped my world. I realized how critical agriculture is and how bad the industry has been at marketing itself. If I wanted to stay in the industry long term, I knew I couldn’t just work as a farmhand. I had to do something more.
So I started Atlas Media Group. We work exclusively with ag companies. no exceptions. We do social, video, and influencer marketing. all geared toward younger generations in agriculture. The whole purpose is to share Ag’s story and build a team that’s passionate about doing it right.
Bakhtiar: What were the biggest challenges breaking into the ag space?
Clayton Lind: It’s hard to get into ag because there’s so much to learn. the terminology, the complexity. You can’t just walk in and get it all. You’re not going to build a rocket on day one. Farming is very much the same way. Even now, I feel like I know less every day because I keep discovering how much more there is.
But the biggest hurdle? Trust. This is a legacy-driven industry. You’ve got companies that have existed for generations. If you’re new, you need to show you’re in it for the long haul not just chasing a quick win.
Bakhtiar: What are the biggest challenges AgTech companies face going to market?
Clayton Lind: The challenge is that Ag is not one big group. It’s thousands of niche groups with unique needs. AgTech companies try to build something big and broad but that doesn’t work. To succeed, you have to narrow in, serve a specific group, and grow from there.
A lot of companies spend their budget marketing to everyone when they should’ve focused on a small group of power users first. If you don’t survive long enough to reach scale, none of it matters.
Bakhtiar: What trends or shifts are you seeing for 2025?
Clayton Lind: The biggest challenge? Talent. We’re running out of young people who want to work in this industry. Unless ag companies get more competitive with pay or benefits, they’ll struggle to attract the next generation.
We’re also in a market downturn, so hiring is already slow. That makes this year a tough one and it’s pushing even more people away from the industry.
Bakhtiar: Talk about AgTech adoption. Is the industry moving forward?
Clayton Lind: There’s progress, but AgTech is still expensive and too complex for wide adoption. Farmers aren’t against tech they just don’t want to gamble on something that might not be around in two years. If you’re going to ask a farmer to spend $10,000 on software, you better prove it’s worth every penny and that you’ll still be around next season.
Right now, there’s no “iPhone of AgTech.” Ag is too complicated for a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s going to take time. and better focus for these products to gain real traction.
Bakhtiar: Where do you see the biggest potential in AgTech?
Clayton Lind: Forget the buzzwords. The biggest opportunity is in data consolidation.
If someone can build a platform that pulls in all the farm data from machinery, financials, and software and makes it simple, that’s going to win. Farmers want to open an app and see everything happening on their farm in real-time. That’s the dream.
AI has potential, but most companies are just riding the trend. The real innovation lies in making data usable giving farmers real-time, decision-ready insights.
Bakhtiar: What about marketing? Are ag companies changing their mindset?
Clayton Lind: When times are good, yes there’s high demand. Last year was great for us. We offer something different and focused, and people respond to it.
But when markets dip, marketing budgets are the first to go. A lot of ag companies know they need social media, video, and PR but they still don’t fully grasp how important it is. There’s progress, but we’re not quite at the stage where marketing is seen as essential yet.
What’s Next?
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