Farmers Evolve to Use Technology
By Michele Payn-Knoper, CSP
Cause Matters Corp.

Recently a social media blog started an article with “Ordinarily, agriculture and technology are two forces that don’t mix as well as seed and feed.” Guess you should forget that GPS you’ve had for a decade, the DTN of the last 20 years and, more recently, your use of text messaging to connect with your agronomist. It must be time to pull out the bib overalls and pitchfork to fit the “American Gothic” or “Charlotte’s Web” images some people have of American farmers.

This type of comment, in combination with the hayseed stereotype, clearly illustrates the need for U.S. farmers to build relationships off the farm. If people don’t understand that you represent some of the biggest innovators and users of modern technology, then how are they supposed to understand – or accept – your use of technology in food, feed and fuel production? It’s time to change that perception, and it’s going to take acceptance of new tools such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to read Farming Facebook: Finding Community, Collaboration and Connections

Let me guess – you still really don’t want to meddle with social media. You may even leave use of e-mail up to your spouse, sons, daughters and maybe the grandkids. You’ve likely uttered the words “Facebook is a waste of time “or “What’s that Twitter thing all about?” I understand – I was once there. However, if you enjoy your freedom of choices to be a steward of your land as you see fit, let me suggest that you NEED to deal with social media.

Click here to read what Twitter’s all about

The first reason is to be engaged in the conversation. Groups with no agricultural connection are having conversations about food, fuel, feed and fiber. Those conversations put a face on soybean farmers ¬– and a face that you may not like. If you are not at the table, then who’s answering questions about biotechnology, sustainability or modern farming practices? For example, the United Soybean Board’s “Thinking Ahead” blog recently covered the positive story about the life cycle of the soybean – a great piece to share on sustainability.

Second, it’s about being a solid community citizen. Perhaps you’re involved in your local civic organizations, serve on your state checkoff board and host local tours of your farm. Those are great activities – keep them up. Social media just means your community goes beyond your ZIP code into all corners of the globe – Facebook alone now has 450 million opportunities for “citizenship.”

There are different ways to be a good citizen in the new frontier of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Here’s how:

• Contribute: You’ll only get out of the community what you put into it.
• Listen: If you learn to use the tools well, they will give you a clear understanding about thoughts and trends. the secret is biting your tongue long enough to take it in – even when you don’t agree.
• Question: Don’t be defensive; just ask questions. If you wouldn’t say something in personal conversation, then you probably shouldn’t do it virtually.
• Share: Your updates about the planting season, your family or quick farm facts may seeming mundane to you but a novelty to those not living in your world.
• Celebrate: Talk about your wins and joys – the human spirit drives people to cheer you on, especially if you happen to have video camera. It’s not about bragging – it’s about sharing your life. Talk about your yields, equipment or family.

Finally – and most importantly for agriculture – social media builds collaboration. Farmers have clearly demonstrated that social media can offer them the opportunity to work together to affect change. Please note – these are farmer-led initiatives to illustrating the positive influence of social media.

• The day before Thanksgiving in 2009, farmers helped lead an effort to build awareness and appreciation for food origins, which resulted in 6.7 million unique impressions under the “thankafarmer” hashtag, which are headline-like conventions for additional context to messages on social media tools such as Twitter.
• The AgChat Foundation was launched in April to help empower a connected community of “agvocates.” This farmer-led organization is designed to help educate and equip other farmers to better utilize social media. The board involves people from all walks of U.S. agriculture, such as soybean farmers in Ohio and Kansas, a rancher in California and a local foods representative from Vancouver, Canada. Learn more at www.agchat.org about this collaboration to create a more proactive voice.

Conversation, community and collaboration are easy to talk about, and they sound nice. However, the reality is that they won’t really matter until you execute on ideas. A recent Social Media Examiner article stated, “It comes down to having the intention to really help, inform and be an excellent person to know.” Many soybean farmers are clearly showing they can do that with social media tools. Shouldn’t you?

posted by Expert 2:38 pm