As the popularity of social media grows, many producers and organizations in agriculture are embracing social media as a powerful tool for conveying information. Whether a 140-character tweet, photo shared on Facebook or a detailed blog entry, the things we post online have the potential to influence and inform.
Missouri Ruralist recently published an article describing how social media can impact you and highlighting the "agvocacy" efforts of groups like the AgChat Foundation, U.S. Farmer's & Ranchers Alliance and Farmers Feed Us. Check out the excerpt below, and let us know what you think.
"For decades farmers have taken part in an essential cycle. Plant, tend and harvest the
crop, and maket it to a local buyer - who then put it into global trade through a number of channels. For the farmer, it was time to start over again every year with planting. While that underlying cyclical truth remains, there's an added wrinkle you may be more aware of than
ever before: defending agriculture.
The very nature of the business you run has come under fire from groups with little or no
farm background who might perceive farming as one kind of business even as you have
changed your farm to meet a growing global demand for food. The farmer's role in
"defending agriculture" can be as simple as answering a city friend's question during a
social gathering, or it could involve being a guest on a national talk show - and everything in between."
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