American Farmers Venture into New Field: Social Media
Sure, FarmVille prevails as one of the hottest games on Facebook. But across the country, real-life farmers are hopping off their tractors and hopping on the Internet—for at least a few minutes a day—and are plowing new ground in social media.
More and more resources are popping up to steer farmers through this fertile yet relatively foreign terrain. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, for instance, provides an online guide that teaches its members how to use social media. And in late August, the newly formed AgChat Foundation staged its first-ever conference geared toward social media training for farmers.
Jeff Fowle (pictured left), a California rancher who is president of the AgChat Foundation, said: “I’m like most farmers and ranchers. We build extensive knowledge in the care of our crops and livestock, from decades of experience on the farm, training sessions, workshops and our education. Many farmers and ranchers have not had the opportunity to study communications, let alone social media.”
During a recent workshop hosted by the Kansas Corner Growers and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers associations, social media strategist and agriculture advocate Michele Payn-Knoper (second photo) of Indiana led a group of about 20 farmers in setting up accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Payn-Knoper, one of the leaders of the AgChat Foundation, urged the farmers to spend 15 minutes a day promoting agriculture through social media.
A 2009 survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation found that among the 92 percent of ranchers and farmers age 18 to 35 who use computers, 46 percent regularly use some form of social media. Nearly one-fourth of large-acreage farmers spend at least 10 hours a week online, according to the AgChat Foundation.
In a social media workbook, Payn-Knoper said:
“Today’s Internet experience is about efficient community interaction and information exchange; agriculture loses when farmers don’t engage in that community. Arm yourself with a base knowledge of social media to leverage it as a tool for your farm with customers and influencers. After all, farmers offer the best voice for agriculture in social media.”
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