Tweets, blogs keep farmers in touch with customers, each other

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

On a Saturday in August, Lee Druffel took note of the temperature in his field for his blog.

"From not even getting to 70 F a week ago to over 100 F this afternoon has brought on a lot of grain," Druffel wrote. "Temperature in the field at 2 p.m. -- 107 F! Nobody talks about a break down, it would be a miserable time to fix anything!"

While growing wheat in Colton, Wash., Druffel has maintained a personal journal for the sustainable agriculture alliance Shepherd's Grain website for two years.

Posts are intermittent, but whenever something is happening Druffel thinks may be of interest, such as planting or harvest, he tries to write about it.

Druffel said he believes the blog introduces his operation to his customers. When chefs or buyers visit the farm, they have commented on his blog.

Druffel enjoys blogging, too, and said he plans to continue. He stressed that the content of his online journal is not intended for farmer-to-farmer contact.

"I am trying to make things understandable to the person who uses or buys our flour, things happening on the farm or what is happening this time of year," he said. "Farmers would probably find it a little remedial."

Marketing communications agency Nicholson Kovac Inc. recently conducted a survey on the growth of agricultural producers using new media, such as cell phones with text messaging, online use in general and social media such as blogging and Facebook.

The agency focused on 250 larger corn and soybean growers, with an average of 1,500 acres across the United States, conducting the survey by telephone in late May, said Sheree Johnson, Nicholson Kovac's director of media services.

"Certainly across the board, mobile phones are used significantly for the operation of their business," Johnson said. "Text messaging is considered a routine, valuable way of communicating with their farmhands, seed dealers, customers, co-ops, other business associates in the community, friends and family."

Farmers living in rural communities tend to get around an inability to access high-speed Internet through phones or cable companies with satellites, Johnson said. Despite the performance issues, these farmers still are big users of the Internet, especially when accessing business-related or manufacturers' sites.

When online, a farmer does more than just e-mailing, Johnson said. They look for technical information.

About 47 percent of survey respondents spend 10 hours or more online per week, she said. About 88 percent use Internet for e-mail, 86 percent to check weather reports, 85 to check market reports and 85 percent to visit websites related to their farming operations.

Johnson said she believes the farmers who use social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or Twitter are early adopters and occasionally leaders of the community. Beyond keeping in touch with family and friends, they are communicating with like-minded people, making professional contacts and discussing political impacts on their own operations, she said.

"There is a high level now that say they intend to use it for the future," Johnson said.

The Renewable Fuels Association uses Twitter to interact with industry supporters and those who raise questions, said association communications director Matt Hartwig.

"Social media is redefining how businesses and groups communicate." Hartwig said. "Twitter has proved a very useful tool in getting people to interact with the RFA and the ethanol industry in a constructive manner that results in a good dialogue."

The association's market development team has reached out to thousands through Twitter to successfully drive consumer campaigns and awareness about ethanol and ethanol blends, Hartwig said.

"Agriculture has been very quick to utilize Twitter," he said. "Farmers have taken to it as a way to communicate."

Eighty-two percent of farmers who responded to the survey read blogs, 18 percent post comments to blogs and 3 percent write their own blogs, Johnson said.

Druffel said he views his blog as educational for customers of Shepherd's Grain, the Pacific Northwest sustainable agriculture alliance of which he is a member, to let them know where their products come from.

It is a publicity tool similar to Shepherd's Grain customer Stone-Buhr's website, FindtheFarmer.com, Druffel said. That website allows customers to enter a lot code number on a bag of flour they purchase in the store and see which farmer contributed to its contents.

Johnson said the survey sample size reflects the larger agricultural community, especially soybean and corn growers. While users are not yet at critical mass, she said there is huge potential and she expects further increases in use of Internet tools as word of mouth continues. The agency plans to repeat the study next year.

"Certainly, we can't dismiss that this is a tool that has impacted a lot of consumers and business professionals, and it's also impacting our farmers, growers and producers," she said. "They see it as a real advantage in terms of some of the things they're doing on their operation."

Staff writer Matthew Weaver is based in Spokane. E-mail: mweaver@capitalpress.com.

Online

Lee Druffel's Harvest Blog: www.shepherdsgrain.com/Blog/blogger.html

Find the Farmer: www.findthefarmer.com

Nicholson Kovac Inc.: www.nicholsonkovac.com

Renewable Fuels Association on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ethanolRFA

RFA CEO Bob Dinneen: www.twitter.com/ethanolbob