Blogging For 'Agvocacy'

Our family dairy is located in Novato, CA, just north of San Francisco.

My family: Dominic, my husband, Bryce (5) and Paige (4).  Dominic is a 4th generation Dairyman.

This past December, we attended the CA Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Anaheim.  Dominic sat in on a break-out session where Jeff Fowle, Ray Prock and Dino Giacomazzi spoke about the importance of farmers utilizing social media to tell their story.

A few days after returning home from the meeting, Dominic and I just happened to watch the movie Julie & Julia. 

Through Facebook I befriended  many farmers nation-wide.

And came in contact with the AgChat Foundation.  This past August I was fortunate to attend the AgChat Foundation Inaugaral Conference, held in Chicago.

Some blogging tips learned at the AgChat conference included:

• Do not become defensive....just explain.
• Talk about what makes your operation unique, but not at the expense of others in your industry.
• Keep the message simple if you're targeting a "non-ag" audience.
• Highlight the best parts of your farm/ranch & be honest & don't misrepresent it.
• Keep in mind you're shaping opinions as you share about your farm.  Always try to educate.
• Be creative & find new ways to attract followers & increase interaction.
• Message quality is far more important than audience size.
• Use different social media platforms to present a single message in a variety of ways.
• Use resources such as Farm Bureau, commodity checkoffs, National Dairy Council & other allied organizations for up-to-date "talking points" and advice.
• Never be afraid to try something new.
• Keep improving upon what works for you.