# ChatGPT gave you nothing useful? These 5 fixes change that *Published 2026-04-01 by FarmAI Ireland* We hear this a lot. A farmer tries ChatGPT, gets a vague or unhelpful answer, and writes it off. Fair enough — first impressions matter. But in almost every case, the problem isn't the tool. It's how the question was asked. AI tools are like a new hire on the farm — they'll do what you tell them, but they need very specific instructions or they'll stand in the yard looking confused. Here are the five most common mistakes, with before-and-after examples you can try right now. --- ## Mistake 1: Too vague **Bad prompt:** > "Help me with my farm" **What you get:** A generic 500-word essay about modern farming that could apply to any country, any farm type, any situation. Useless. **Good prompt:** > "I'm a beef farmer in County Galway with 70 suckler cows on 40 hectares. I need help drafting a letter to my co-op about late payment for my last batch of weanlings sold in November." **What you get:** A specific, usable letter with your details woven in. **The rule:** The more detail you give, the better the answer. Think of it like giving directions — "go west" doesn't help. "Take the second left after the creamery" does. --- ## Mistake 2: Not giving context **Bad prompt:** > "What grants am I eligible for?" **What you get:** A list of grants from multiple countries, mixed up with UK schemes and programmes that closed years ago. **Good prompt:** > "I'm a 35-year-old farmer in County Clare, Ireland. I have a Green Cert, 30 hectares, and I'm currently in BISS and ACRES General. What other grants or supports might I be eligible for?" **What you get:** A focused list of Irish schemes relevant to your profile — TAMS, Young Farmer Top-Up, ANC, Leader, and more. **The rule:** Always include: your county, your farm type, your herd size, and any schemes you're already in. The AI doesn't know any of this unless you say it. --- ## Mistake 3: Asking one massive question **Bad prompt:** > "Explain everything about ACRES, BISS, ANC, and TAMS — how they work, how to apply, what the payments are, and whether I should be in all of them." **What you get:** A wall of text that covers everything superficially and nothing well. **Good prompt (ask one at a time):** > "Explain the ACRES Co-operation scheme in plain English. I'm a beef farmer in Connacht." Then follow up: > "Now compare that to ACRES General. Which is better for a 40-hectare farm with limited environmental features?" **The rule:** Break big questions into small ones. Ask, read the answer, then ask the next thing. Conversations work better than monologues. --- ## Mistake 4: Taking the first answer without pushing back This is the biggest one. Most people accept whatever ChatGPT says first. But AI improves dramatically when you challenge it. **First answer:** ChatGPT gives you a business plan with estimated turnover of €80,000. **Push back:** > "That turnover figure is too high. My actual turnover last year was €52,000. Revise the plan with this figure and adjust the projections accordingly." **Better answer:** A much more realistic plan based on your actual numbers. **The rule:** Treat the first answer as a draft. Tell the AI what's wrong, what's missing, and what to change. It'll fix it. This back-and-forth is how AI works best — it's a conversation, not a search engine. --- ## Mistake 5: Using the wrong tool for the job ChatGPT is the most popular, but it's not always the best option. - **ChatGPT** (free) — great for general questions, drafting, brainstorming. Solid all-rounder. - **ChatGPT Plus** (€20/month) — better at longer documents, can browse the web, handles file uploads. - **Claude** (free tier available) — often better at reading long documents like policies, regulations, and reports. Tends to give more measured, less hype-filled answers. - **Google Gemini** (free) — integrated with Google Search, so it can check live information. Good for "what's happening right now" questions. If you asked ChatGPT free to summarise a 40-page insurance policy and got a bad answer, it's probably because the free version struggles with large documents. Claude or ChatGPT Plus would handle it better. **The rule:** If one tool gives you a poor answer, try another before giving up on AI entirely. They're different tools for different jobs. --- ## The 30-second test Next time you open ChatGPT, try this before typing your question: 1. **Did I say what type of farm I run?** (beef, dairy, sheep, tillage) 2. **Did I say where I am?** (county, or at least "Ireland") 3. **Did I give numbers?** (hectares, herd size, budget) 4. **Am I asking one question, not five?** If you can tick all four, your answer will be dramatically better than "help me with my farm." AI isn't magic. It's a tool that rewards clear instructions. Give it those, and it'll give you something worth using. --- ## Sources - [OpenAI — ChatGPT](https://chat.openai.com) — The free version of ChatGPT, accessible from any browser or phone --- *Source: [FarmAI Ireland](https://farmai.ie/read/chatgpt-not-working-common-mistakes)*