COLUMN | NEWS | FEATURE
X I M T N ITAL A T R O P DIG D N M A L I A N O I N A W TR ADIT WS AND HO F NE A LOOK INTO BALANCED SOURCE O CHERS TE A D R AN MEDIA CREA ION FOR FARMERS AN INFORMAT E GOU BY: NICHOL
CO LDIE, MKC
Are you one that loves to open up a crisp new magazine to learn the latest news, tips or tricks, or one who strolls social media and your favorite websites each day? Even better, do you have a balanced mix of both? While equipment, precision ag and other areas of the industry have brought more traditional farming operations into the digital age, access to news and information has changed too for farmers and ranchers.
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Use of Media Survey. In contrast, use of desktop or full websites, social media sites and e-newsletters peaks around dinner time, about 6 p.m.
FARMERS AND RANCHERS USE SOCIAL TOO
More and more farmers are actively engaging in social media platforms, for both personal and business reasons. In the early days, social media wasn’t much more than a way for teenagers and college students to let their GROWING ONLINE friends know what they were Quoting a study by Successful doing throughout the day. THE TRUTH IS, THE Farming, “70% of farmers are Times have changed. In fact, AGRI-MARKETING online daily,” and almost a third according to iStrategyLabs’ LANDSCAPE are online multiple times each Facebook demographics day. This was no doubt helped CONTINUES TO EVOLVE report, Facebook’s fastest by the fact that in the past eight age demographic is AS NEW MEDIA AND growing years, the number of farms with people over the age of 55. TECHNOLOGY ARE internet access rose from 60% Also, a PEW Research report to 71%, further closing the gap on social media found that 56% INTRODUCED AND that divides growers from the of internet users ages 65 and national average of around 74%. BECOME MORE WIDELY older now use Facebook, up ACCEPTED. According to a 2017 Farm from 45% a couple years prior. Journal Media mobile research Facebook is by far the survey, phone calls are by far most popular social media the most popular and common reason farmers give platform used by producers, according to the 2015 for using their phones. However, texting, sending and Meredith Agrimedia study and a 2016 Farm Futures receiving emails, checking social media and monitoring survey. Other frequently used social media channels the weather are also commonplace activities. include YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Producers send texts and access mobile websites Instagram. Farmers use these channels the same fairly consistently between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., way many of us do. Facebook and LinkedIn are most according to Meredith Agrimedia’s 2015 Farmers’ frequently used to connect with family, friends and
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