Twitter and Facebook Are New Tools For Farmers
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Mar 11, 2010 @ 01:40 PM
The tools and equipment for a successful farming operation have always changed with the times. Fields once cultivated with a horse and plow are now handled by air-conditioned tractors in many areas. Hand written accounting systems are now processed by computers. Plans for the placement of irrigation systems were once scratched in the dirt or on paper, and now they may use GPS and field-mapping software for proper design. It should be no surprise to find that farmers have embraced the Internet for news and information gathering, as well as this relatively new tool called "social media."
CNN reports that a 2007 census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows 
high-speed Internet access doubled on U.S. farms between 2005 and 2007, jumping from 13 percent to 27 percent. That is still less than the general U.S. population, but it's growing faster. According to government statistics, 55 percent of U.S. farms had Internet access in 2007 compared with 62 percent of homes in the U.S. overall. And social media activities are growing quickly in popularity as a communications and marketing tool. A recent American Farm Bureau Federation survey (pg.4) of farmers and ranchers ages 18-35 indicates that among the 92 percent who use computers, 46 percent regularly use social media.
Social Media Defined
Social media can be defined as "social interaction and communication through web-based techniques and media." It includes Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, blogs, and many others. While Facebook is the fastest growing website in terms of total visitors, having recently passed Yahoo at #3 overall (behind only Google and Microsoft), the mobile nature of today's farmer seems to have made Twitter their most preferred social media tool. Farmers, like the small group in California, use their smart phones to make Twitter entries throughout the day. They use Twitter to answer questions and break stereotypes of what life is really like on a farm, and the daily challenges of today's farmer.
Websites serving the agribusiness community like AgWired are utilizing social media tools to extend their reach and provide more timely information to its followers. The United States Department of Agriculture even has a separate section of its website dedicated to Social Media and Resources and a very active Twitter account (@USDAgov). Others are using social media to raise the level of awareness of farm issues to the general population. In 2009, Mike Haley, who raises crops and purebred Simmental cattle near West Salem, OH, demonstrated the power of Twitter for farmers. To raise awareness and support of America's dairy families, he asked everyone who uses Twitter to create "tweets" using the keyword #moo on a certain day (in Twitter lingo, the # sign preceding a phrase is known as a "hash tag"). Word of this request spread among farmers and Twitter users. For that particular day, the keyword #moo became one of the most popular terms on Twitter -- on a day when 15 million tweets were made.
How Is It Used?
So besides debunking farm myths and raising awareness of farm issues, what is everyone Tweeting and Facebooking about? Some of it is just about farm life, and the daily challenges of that profession. Some of it is problem solving, and requesting input from others regarding how to handle certain situations. Such as those asked at the AgTalkForum, a moderated forum covering questions and answers on a variety of farm topics, claiming to have over 14,000 registered users. There are questions about using computers on the farm, including opinions from end users regarding which farm management software program might be the most appropriate. There is also a section on "Crop Talk" where visitors can share techniques about planting or fertilizing or irrigation equipment, like sand media tanks. Or ask questions like "If I have sand in my water well, how do I prevent it from damaging my submersible or turbine pumps that irrigate my crops?"
What about you? Do you see other ways social media and the Internet can improve life on the farm? Leave us your thoughts in the Comments area below.
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Social media is here, and it's time to get on board.