Can You Trust That Farm Tech Review? How to Spot a Paid Promotion

You search for a review of a new farm app. The first three results all say it's brilliant. You sign up. Six months later, you've used it twice and you're still paying the subscription.

Sound familiar? Here's why it keeps happening — and how to stop it.

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Why most reviews are not what they look like

The internet runs on advertising. When someone writes a review and includes a link to buy the product, they often earn a commission if you click through and purchase. That's called an affiliate link.

There's nothing illegal about it. But it creates a problem. The reviewer makes money when you buy — not when the tool actually works for you. That changes what they write, whether they realise it or not.

Affiliate reviews aren't always dishonest. But they're never truly independent. Keep that in mind.

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Five red flags in any tool review

Here's what to watch for when you're reading a review online, watching a video, or scrolling through social media.

1. "Use my code" or "link in description"

If the reviewer gives you a discount code or tells you to use their special link, they're earning a commission. The review might still be useful, but it's a sales pitch dressed as advice. Treat it accordingly.

2. Everything is positive

No tool is perfect. If a review finds nothing wrong, nothing awkward, nothing that could be better — it's marketing, not a review. Real tools have real limitations. An honest review mentions them.

3. The reviewer has never used it on a farm

Watch for reviews that show only screen recordings and never show the tool in an actual farm setting. If someone is reviewing a grass measurement app from their office desk, that tells you how much field-testing they've done.

4. They review a new tool every week

Some channels and blogs exist purely to review products. Every week, a new tool, and every week, it's impressive. That's a content business, not a farm advisory service. The reviewer's income comes from volume, not from genuine experience with any single tool.

5. No mention of cost, contract, or limitations

A genuine review discusses price, lock-in periods, what the tool does badly, and who it's not suitable for. If those details are missing, the review is incomplete at best and misleading at worst.

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Where to find opinions you can trust

The best farm tech reviews don't come from the internet. They come from people with nothing to sell.

Your Teagasc advisor

Teagasc advisors work with dozens of farmers across your area. They see which tools people actually use after the novelty wears off, and which ones sit in a drawer. Ask your advisor what they've seen working. Their opinion is independent — they don't earn commission.

Farmer discussion groups

Your local discussion group is one of the best sources of honest feedback. If someone in your group has tried a tool for six months, their experience is worth more than a hundred online reviews. They'll tell you the bits the brochure leaves out.

Mart and co-op conversations

The farmer beside you at the mart who's been using Herdwatch for two years can tell you what it's actually like on a wet Tuesday in November. That's the review that matters.

Teagasc open days and farm walks

Technology demonstrations at Teagasc events are tested in real conditions on real farms. The results are independently measured. That's as close to an unbiased review as you'll find.

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Why FarmAI doesn't do affiliate links

We should be transparent about our own position. FarmAI Ireland does not use affiliate links. When we write about a tool, we don't earn money if you buy it.

That's a deliberate choice. The moment we earn commission on a recommendation, we have a conflict of interest. We'd rather you trust what we write than click a link that pays us.

When we review a tool, we say what works and what doesn't. If it's not suitable for most Irish farms, we say so. If it's brilliant, we say that too — but we tell you the limitations alongside the strengths.

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The one question that filters everything

Next time you read any review — online, in a magazine, on social media — ask yourself one question:

"Who paid for this?"

If the answer is the company that made the tool, you're reading marketing. If the answer is advertising revenue from clicks, you're reading content designed to generate traffic. Neither of those is necessarily wrong, but neither is independent.

If the answer is "nobody — this person just used it on their farm and told me what happened," that's the review worth listening to.

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Your next step

Before you act on any tool review, run it through these filters:

1. Check for affiliate links or discount codes.
2. Look for limitations and honest criticism in the review.
3. Ask your Teagasc advisor if they've seen the tool in use.
4. Talk to a farmer who's actually used it for more than a month.
5. Ask yourself: who paid for this review?

You don't need to be suspicious of everything. You just need to know who's talking and why.

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Independent advice matters. Your Teagasc advisor has no commission to earn and no affiliate link to promote. Start there. Find your local Teagasc office →