Group invites farm families to post photos via Twitter to depict their struggles and rewards
RED DEER — For decades, farmers have commented on the lack of connection between them and urbanites.
Social media might be the answer, especially for young farm families who want to meet with others like them to share common ideas or pick up some useful skills.
One of these connections can be found through a website called www.farmon.com.
Supported by the Farm On Foundation at Bashaw, Alta., the developers launched a Twitter hashtag, #farmvoices that has gained thousands of followers around the world.
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Ben Wilson, speaking at the Western Stock Growers Association meeting in February, said the idea behind Farm Voices was to give farmers a voice.
A former aerospace engineer who married farmer Kelly Northey of Bashaw, he advocates for the power of social media in promoting agriculture and answering consumer questions.
“The agriculture industry has to get with the times and start using modern tools and technology to predict and spot these trends ahead of time. You can access all that data for free on the internet in real time,” Wilson said.
One of the early projects encouraged farmers around the world to submit farm pictures via Twitter on Earth Day on April 22, 2013. The pictures had to show a love of agriculture, farm struggles or a demonstration of how they care for the land.
About 2,000 stories were submitted in 24 hours from 23 countries. Last year, 3,000 people from 25 countries posted their pictures and stories.
“It moved with the time zones and the sun rising around the globe,” he said. Half the traffic is from the United States but people from as far as Australia are also involved.
The foundation hopes to see even greater traffic on April 22 this year.
Besides creating a social connection, the website offers four-minute educational videos on how to set up a grazing plan, including practical information about how to build an electric fence or where to place livestock waterers.
Two weeks after the videos were posted, followers responded by showing pictures of what they had done on their farms.
It was created with support from the Grey Wooded Forest Association and Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency.
A pilot project is also being tested to explain animal welfare through the voice of a farmer with support from Alberta Farm Animal Care.
Another partnership with the Agricultural Research and Extension Council will offer videos on starting an environmental farm plan.
For more information, visit www.farmon.com/farmvoices.
