Why Do Agricultural Companies Need Social Media

Oregon (October 17, 2017) - Did you know that in 2017 a record 2.51 billion people were on social media? That is 2.51 BILLION people that marketers need to reach through an honest, authentic and calculated approach. Out of these 2.51 billion people, we have what is known as "Generation Z" born between 1996 to 2010, "Millennials" born 1977 to 1995, "Generation X" born 1965 to 1976, and "Baby Boomers" born 1946 to 1964. Each of these generations use social media in a completely different way and so does the western industries; a way very unique when compared to mainstream media. 

Do you know who your target audience is? Do you know how to use social media to reach that target market? Do you know how to promote your message of agriculture and western industries? This is where Western Insights Media marketing comes in to play. We are here to help you. 

Yes, you understand that you need marketing for your company but HOW is the better question. More than that, the average agricultural company/commodity/association/business knows that a social media presence is necessary, but doesn't have the time nor the desire to do the tedious research, planning, posting and interaction required for their companies online presence and social identity to grow. 

Outsource it. 

Farmers, ranchers, and association's outsource much of their tedious tasks already to a professional company to ensure that it is done properly and efficiently. Western Insights Media is that company for agricultural media marketing locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. 

Sharon Livingston, former Oregon Cattlemen's Association president and English Teacher stated in her acceptance speech at AgLink's Denim & Diamonds event in Portland (Oregon) for 2016 Agriculturalist of the Year that, "Ranching has a story, farming has a story, and rodeo has a story. If we don't tell it, somebody else will and they're going to get it wrong. Are you okay with that?" 

Let's tell YOUR story!

Contact Western Insights Media today to get a free consultation on a media package that is right for your company. Trial periods of 3 months, 6 months, and a year are available. 

Let's make sure that YOUR story is told correctly! 

iFarm: Where technology & agriculture collide

When most people think about agriculture, usually the last thing they think of is technology.

I remember my first introduction to modern technology within the agriculture industry. I was working on a grass seed farm, and the harvest was entering its final phase. I was asked to get off the combine and to help plow the fields. On my first day of training on the Case tractor with ATI tracks, which allows the tractor to easily navigate over loose dirt, I was shown a “new way of farming.”

There was a feature on this tractor which allowed you to set the width of your plow and it would help you turn your tractor around. Once turned, it would emit a steady beep tone which would increase in frequency until the tractor was perfectly aligned in the field, allowing the farmer to not plow the same area twice, as well as to not miss a strip of dirt. It was mind-numbingly cool at the time because I had never experienced something like this. Ever since then, I have been infatuated with technology in the agriculture industry.

With staff shortages throughout the agriculture industry worldwide, technology is becoming increasingly helpful and, in some cases, almost necessary. We have seen technology flourish in most sectors of the market and the agriculture business is no exception.

Let’s quickly revisit the grass seed market.  After the seed is delivered to the company warehouse, it has to be cleaned, then packaged. Grass seed used to almost solely be packaged into 50-lb. bags. It was required to be bagged, weighed, stitched shut, then put on a pallet and stacked in a separate area of the warehouse. Even since I worked there, which was about 10-15 years ago, technology has boomed, even in the warehouse.

There are now robotic arms that dispense the grass seed, straight to the correct amount, and when I say correct amount, I mean 50.0 lbs., not 50.2 or 49.7.  It then seals the bag and stitches it shut if needed, and places it on a pallet. This means you only need one worker operating a forklift and moving the pallets, but as long as seed is being added to the machine, there is no need for additional workers. Not only does it save hours on labor, but it can  process multiple bags of seed each minute, saving money each time a second ticks by.

Technology is spanning across agriculture. Take wineries--utilizing solar-powered robots that traverse across the land on four wheels that “remember” each vine in the vineyard, while simultaneously pruning each one. Or look at the cattle industry--how about a robot that helps herd your cattle? Personally, I still like dogs that do that sort of thing, but if you run a huge operation, having many dogs to herd your cattle could be time- consuming. Say your cattle operation is a dairy operation--now they have almost exclusively robotic-powered milking parlors. Rotary parlors were already making a surge across the country, but they would still require workers to walk behind each cow to verify the attachment of the teat-cup shells from the milking machine. Imagine taking all workers off the milking parlor floor and being able to utilize them in different operations at the dairy.

We’ll never know how far technology will launch the agriculture industry. Although it seems that sometimes the agriculture business gets stuck in the past, we can see that technology and,  more specifically, robotics is becoming a staple in many agriculture-driven industries. Don’t get left behind!

"iFarm" is written by Stuart, a former Mac consultant and agricultural advocate. Read more about Stuart on our Authors page!