Farmers on Twitter: Another tool in the communication toolbox

There are so many ways for farmers to communicate to consumers these days - with some popular methods being through blogs, a Facebook page and YouTube videos.

And don't forget about Twitter.

Yes, Twitter, the 140-character conversation tool is 'hot' right now - and some may be wondering what all of the fuss is about. To be honest, I'm still learning - but who isn't? Social media, of which Twitter is a component, is evolving rapidly. And ways people can use Twitter - or mine it for information - change daily.

But what if farmers could push out information to anyone who cared to follow (or find) - through a text message, web page or other application? Things like planting updates, weather, comments on production, markets, risks, concerns, fears, long days, life on the farm, animal care, etc.

Would that help tell the story of agriculture? Help others learn about all the hard work farmers do on a daily basis? Help put a face on food production? Wouldn't that be good for agriculture and food producers in general?

At the same time, Twitter, which is free and open to anyone and everyone, can drive traffic to websites, blogs, Facebook pages and more. It is simply another tool in the communication toolbox.

There are many farmers on Twitter already - including two folks in Nebraska that you may know.

One is Brandon Hunnicutt, current president of the Nebraska Corn Growers. His Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/cornfedfarmer

Another is Debbie Borg, current president of the Nebraska Soybean Association. Her Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/iamafarmer2

By clicking on their feeds, you can see their tweets (what they posted) and what they have been up to. Join in the conversation!

Or just follow along to get a feel for the place.

On the right side of this blog is a link to my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/MikeHowie). Feel free to follow along or ask questions.

Please point me in the direction of any farmers that you may know on Twitter.

I'll compile and post a list so anyone who is interested in farming/food production can find 'real time' updates - from farmers themselves.