Tweeting From Tractors

Remember when mobile phones first came on the scene? They were rather clunky and reception often wasn’t very good. Back then, not everyone had one. I was one of those people. What did I need a cell phone for? Boy, have times changed. The location of my cell phone is on my checklist before I leave the house in the morning.

I’m going to assume that it is the same way with most people. It just shows you that sometimes it takes a little while for new technology to catch on.
And now smart phones are all the rage. These devices can be used to execute a multitude of tasks on the farm. They can allow growers to view crop protection labels, take a photo of an unfamiliar pest, post updates on their farm on Facebook, and tweet about freshly picked produce that is for sale
in their farm market.

An Ohio sweet corn grower I visited last summer told me he considers his iPhone to be one of the most important tools he uses on the farm. Why? Because he can place orders for supplies — among other things — while navigating from the seat of his tractor.

A New Way To Communicate

So when I came across information for a workshop called “Tweeting From Tractors,” I was intrigued. The workshop, which was held last month in California, was designed to help the agricultural community change the way it communicates and take advantage of tools such as Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, etc. to help grow their businesses.

The sweet corn grower I mentioned earlier operates 15 markets, all located within 50 miles of the farm. He already uses his smart phone for so many functions, but there is one function that he still needs to tap into: marketing. Will he soon be taking advantage of his smart phone to tweet from his tractor about his market stands that are fully stocked with freshly picked sweet corn?

Today, there is a growing group of what is being called “ifarmers,” who are defined as people using new media to communicate with other farmers and, more importantly, to communicate with consumers. One farmer, in particular, recently said in an article in the Christian Science Monitor that he began using social media last year as a tool to help teach people about agriculture. According to the article, the use of social media is “personalizing a food chain that over decades has grown more complex, globalized, and impersonal.”

With the “personalization” that comes with the help of using social media, growers can also feed their bottom lines. Just ask the 2010 Grower Achievement Award winner, Kurt Alstede of New Jersey’s Alstede Farms. As the owner of a 500-acre farm that includes supplying 25 area farmers markets in addition to an on-site farm market and a PYO operation, Alstede says the best ways to let his customers know what crops are available for picking or to give them a head’s up on activities taking place on the farm is through his website (www.alstedefarms.com), Facebook, and Twitter.

So if you are one of those people who is hanging back, thinking that you don’t have to get involved in social media, think again. You may never tweet from your tractor, but you just may realize that using social media will provide you with a “face” to your customers, which could lead to repeat sales and an increase in your profits.