 
Kentucky Small Grain
Growers Association
PO Box 90
Eastwood, KY 40018
Phone: 800-326-0906
FAX: 866-543-9674
info@kysmallgrains.org
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 Using social
media tools to share your story with the worldWhat is Social Media?:
Social
media is a way to distribute information and facts online –
and have conversations with people who are interested in or
commenting on agriculture. Social media can be in the form
of blogs, message boards, social networks, or podcasts.
When should Farmers use Social Media?: Right away! We
have a story to tell and many people want to listen. They
want to know what you are doing to provide them a safe and
abundant food supply while nurturing the environment.
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Social media is how we share information online.
Sometimes we are the audience. And sometimes we are
the author. Often we are both.
Common uses of social media within
the agriculture industry:
Advocacy
Community Building
Relationship building with clients
and partners (new and old)
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Who needs to get involved with Social Media?:
Everyone promoting agriculture.
Social media is a way to
support causes (animal agriculture advocacy, ethanol
production, etc) and advocate for your cause. So many bloggers and Tweeters out
on
the Web are threatening our
businesses and livelihood and
this is a way for farmers and
supporters to fight back. According
to a report from
Forrester Research issued October 13, 2009, almost everyone
under 35 uses social networks, but the growth
of these
networks over the last year has come from older adults. Use
of social networking by people age 35 to 54 grew 60 percent
in the last year.
What is the benefit of using Social Media?:
Not everyone
is taking time to read
papers
or sit and watch TV. Most of us are
on the go, whether in
the tractor, on the
road or at work, and we can get
information faster through new technology. Many
people
access social media from their mobile devices.
How do I get started?: The easiest and most prolific
tools to
use are Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube.
You can set up your accounts at the following web sites:
Facebook -
www.facebook.com
Twitter -
www.twitter.com
Need help - see
Tiptoe into Twitter by Michelle Payne Knopper
YouTube -
www.youtube.com
With any of these, think about if you want to share as an
individual or as a representative of your farming
enterprise.
That will help you decide what you will name
your account.
But you may want to do both. In Facebook, for
instance, you
can create a page for your personal use, and
then create a fan
page for your farm.
If you need help with any of this, please feel free to
contact Jennifer Elwell at
jennifer@kysmallgrains.org.
What kinds of things should I share?: Here are
just a few ideas:
- Have someone take photos while you are planting,
harvesting, scouting, etc. Post them to Facebook with an
explanation of why you are doing what you are doing. If you
no-till, explain why. Explain what different types of
equipment are and what they are used for.
- Create a short video tour of your farm and post it on You
Tube.
- Tweet about what you are doing in your daily operation.
Tweets are limited to 140 characters, so make it short and
sweet.
- If you hear or read something misleading about farming,
share the facts using all of your social media tools. We
have a page dedicated to
Corn
Facts which may help.
The Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association is in the process
of building some tools on behalf of farmers, but it
will require individual efforts to get our stories out
there. Again, if you need help, please don't hesitate to
contact us.
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