Today I had the great pleasure of speaking at the
Diversified Agriculture Conference in Layton, Utah.
I met so many nice farmers and ranchers, it was my pleasure to discuss one of my favorite subjects: Social Media!
Below is my
Prezi and I made a SWEET handout which is downloadable in PDF format. I've also included my talking points:
Everybody Eats • This is what we all have in common: Farmers, Hippies, City Slickers, Urban Cowboys
• However, views are distorted because Ag is so removed from consumers
Is There a Disconnect Between Consumers & Farmers? • Farmers are now <2% of the population
• Does the average consumer know where their food comes from?
• Who’s got some funny stories?
• Homer Simpson Video on: bacon, pork chops & ham
• See how far Ag has come over the years with Monsanto Video
WTF? •
Without
The
Farmer…There Is No Food!
• If you’re not in it for the money, why do it?
• Farmers work because of: Tradition, Passion, Fun & Price in feeding the world
What’s the Issue? • There is currently a
BATTLE for
INFLUENCE on the Internet
• Most of Ag does not even know it’s going on because they’re so busy
PRODUCING everyone’s food
• Right now Ag is the
Silent Minority Anti-Ag Groups • These groups have an
AGENDA: Peta, Humane Society, Greenpeace, Farm Sanctuary, Sierra Club
• They have great
POWER & INFLUENCE online throughout social media forums.
• But do they see the big picture? Think about horse harvesting laws?
• They are controlling the image of Ag & making it harder for Ag to feed the world
Is Social Media a Fad? • So what if Anti-Ag groups are big in Social Media?
• Does this really matter?
• Is it a bubble? Will it go away?
Social Media Stats • FYI: It’s here to stay
• BTW: the world is going
MOBILE • If you disagree, throw your cell phone in the trash on your way out because Facebook reached 50M users 3x faster than cell phones did
Mass Influence • Social Media is now the “Great Equalizer”
• This is how Obama won the Whitehouse in 2008 & how his campaign raised over $750M to defeat Clinton and McCain
• This is how Obama will raise $1B in 2012
• Liken Social Media adoption unto adoption of Telegraph:
LINCOLN vs. LEE- Lincoln used the telegraph, Lee did not
- Lincoln controlled all battles through quick communication with his generals, Lee wrote letters
- Lincoln nationalized railroads and mobilized troops faster, Lee struggled to keep up and went on the defense
- The North beat the South
Old Media • TV & Newspapers are losing their footing, struggling to adapt, fighting change
• Declining in trust and credibility because they’re really slow compared to news from blogs and social media networks
• Learn about the “New Media” – watc the
AgChat Video
What is #AgChat? •
This is the most important takeaway: Join the Conversation
• From 6-8pm MTN time in Utah
• Tip-toe in first, listen + learn…then share
•
Twubs.com/agchat click on the links, read, learn the issues
• Get comfortable and eventually participate!
Now, Tell Your FARM STORY • This is how we can influence the conversation
• Consumers deserve to have farmers answer their questions about food...right?
• How else can you contribute?
• Farmers know what BS smells like…so DISPEL MYTHS
• Start with
ONE Social Media tool and get to work
Thank You
RSS Feed
