How We Test Products and Services

how we test products and services

At FarmFoodFamily.com, we take pride in providing our readers with thoughtful, unbiased reviews of products and services relevant to farm and country living.

From tractor parts to homesteading tools to organic seeds, we extensively test items before recommending them to ensure we only promote high-quality, effective products to our audience.

Our Testing Process

Any product that is reviewed by our editorial team undergoes a standardized testing process:

  1. In-House Trials: All products are used and evaluated by our editorial staff. For example, when reviewing a gardening tool, our writers will use it for typical garden tasks like weeding, digging, planting, etc. Detailed notes are taken on performance, ease of use, durability, and other metrics.
  2. Reader Evaluations: After in-house testing, products are then distributed to a select group of FarmFoodFamily readers for real-world feedback. This allows us to evaluate how products perform for people across varying farm types, skill levels, and needs.
  3. Follow-Up Qualitative Interviews: Once reader evaluations are complete, we interview testers over the phone to learn more qualitative insights about their experience with the product and if they would recommend it to other farm and homestead families.
  4. Fact-Checking with Brand: Before publishing a review, we share our evaluations with the brand/manufacturer to fact-check details and allow them to respond to any concerns that may have arisen during the testing process.

Commitment to Honest, Ethical Reviews

The integrity of our reviews rests entirely on unbiased, authentic assessments of each product’s merits. We have no paid sponsorships or brand partnerships that influence coverage.

Our aim is always to provide farmers and homesteaders with transparent, helpful information to make their next purchase decision.

We have developed rigorous testing methodologies for all the categories of products and services we review. While we provided a high-level overview of our general process above, we recognize that our audiences may be interested in more specifics around how we evaluate particular item types they are shopping for.

For detailed information on the criteria we measure and research methods our editorial experts leverage across different product domains, please see the following links:

Our methodologies are crafted for each category to account for the unique considerations and measures of quality that readers should factor into purchase decisions.

We hope these resources provide further visibility into the care and rigor we exercise in equipping our community with ethical, responsible reviews.

Please let us know if you have any other questions!