My family has been farming unconventionally for almost 30 years. It made for an interesting childhood. Times were often tough but recently I have witnessed a major change shift in consumer behavior; we have more and more customers wanting our grass-fed beef.  For various reasons, people are motivated to reclaim a sense of their rural heritage through their food consumption and purchases. They are doing this by buying their food from farmers they know and who grow food with their own hands. At its heart, this shift is about getting back to the land, but I think there is more going on. 

The Cultural Shift

My parents were part of the back to land movement of the 70’s; their philosophy was one of solitude and subsistence, it was about getting away and finding a way to escape the materialism of modern society. Today’s version of this movement is very different, it is one of connection, community but also profit. Those of us involved in this revolution want to change how America grows and eats foods but we are also unabashed at our desire to make a good living by creating a new viable food system.

This is all made possible because there are people willing to buy our products. Customers are educated and impassioned: One can see it in their blogging, tweeting, videos, and in their desire to open restaurants with a heavy emphasis on sourcing their ingredients locally.

This movement is a beautiful thing. It is about human connections from Farm to Table and social media has become the glue that binds and inspires this food revolution. Social media is also inspiring farmers and costumers to buy local, grass-fed and organic, it is also changing how we view food.

If you are not already convinced visits Zach’s post on Social media.

So why should farmers be on social media?

As an unconventional farmer you need to do it all, you need to be a marketer and customer relations specialist, and that’s on top of being a soil expert, a prolific weeder, a cheese maker, etc. Today’s unconventional farmer must wear a lot of hats besides the metaphorical straw one.

It can be overwhelming. However, social media is an excellent way of interacting and meeting new costumers without having to leave the farm. Social Media has enabled farmers to reach their customers, interact with them, answer questions and provoke discussions without having to drive to the city.

Corporations are spending millions to create sophisticated narratives for engineered social media campaigns. You do not need this. You already got it. You became a farmer because you care about our land, bodies and food system.  People are ready to hear your story and support you. Haven’t you heard? Farmers are the new rock stars. The inherent narrative built into farming lifestyles is already perfected. Now you just need to share it. And we want more!

Social media is a powerful advertising tool it is also essentially free (granted it does take time). People are living more and more online.  This is where you can compete against the big guys and succeed. Traditional media outlets are dying and advertising firms are scrambling to figure out how to transition online. As an independent farmer you actually have the upper hand online. So why not use it?

Seek out local bloggers, join twitter, become part of the dialogue. We are waiting for you with open arms!

So where do I start?

Twitter: Twitter has been life changing for me. I have met so many inspiring, likeminded people and learned about important conferences, gained insight and new friends. As a freelancer, I find twitter an indispensible networking platform.  As a farmer this will also be true, and I guarantee you will meet bloggers, activists, new friends, customers and chefs through twitter.

A Facebook fanpage: Setting up a Facebook fanpage is an effective way of connecting with your costumers by sharing photos, news from your farm and products you have ready to sell.  People are spending more and more time on Facebook, and a fanpage is a great way to passively connect with your costumers. If they see something about your farm in their feed it might remind them to buy something you are selling.

Blog or website: I think a website is a must but they can be costly and a bit intimidating for the technically challenged. For those who cannot afford a website I recommend starting out with a simple blog. Upload some photos, and use this URL on your twitter account.

Flickr: If a website or blog is too overwhelming flickr is another great platform to share your farm with the world. As a visual person, I respond to photos and if you are tweeting about a new lamb, seeing it with my own eyes if far more impactful.  It can also be connected to your Facebook fanpage so when you upload more photos it gets aggregated onto your fan’s feeds.

YouTube: Even the most banal farm videos are charming to city folks. YouTube is another way of connecting to the greater social media community.  People want to get to know you and know your farm. Believe me there is an audience!