john blue - building community is not a project, it is a process

Building CommunityIs Not a ProjectIt Is a Process

Wednesday, March 26, 14

Good morning,Welcome to the sessionBuilding Community Is Not a Project, It Is a Process

Truffle Media

Ned Arthur, Director of Sales and Content Development

John Blue, Chief of Community Creation


Hi, My name is John Blue and I work at Truffle Media Networks, an agriculture media company focused on agriculture animal health issues.

Thanks to the Extension team running the National eXtension Conference/National Extension

Directors and Administrators Joint Meeting for the opportunity to


Thanks to the Extension team running the National eXtension Conference/National Extension Directors and Administrators Joint Meeting for the opportunity to provide you information you can use.

Empowering farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms.


Why do farmers and ranchers need social media?


Farming Mythology


Farms have a mythology: Little House on the Prairie, Charlotte’s Web, Elsie the Cow, Chicken Little, American Gothic all have implanted in our brain a vision of farms and farming that just is not true today.

Smuggling cheese.


Cheese smuggling from the US to Canada created this image of dairy that probably confused many people.

PETA, HSUS, Mercy for Animals portray any use of animals in any way is always wrong all the time.


These organizations receive lots of money and spend tons on advertising, media, and public relations.

Lean Finely Textured BeefPink Slime


ABC worked hard to create a story about lean finely textured beef.

Food safety in the news implies all food of same type is now bad.


When there is a bad burrito, cantaloupe, or spinach, consumers react by not buying anything fresh or ag related.

Consumer observations of products in the stores not always as they seem.


People think organic is better for you so product companies will work on creating a food label to fit. People feel better without hormones or antibiotics in their food so product companies will create packaging to fit.

Science to advance growing more foods is opposed by people wanting to not have science based approach to growing food.


What is Agriculture?


What is agriculture?Some traditional views are that it’s all about growing corn, soybeans, cattle, chickens, and pigs.


But agriculture is more than just growing corn, soybeans, cattle, chickens, and pigs.


There are many players in agriculture beyond the farm. Farm products are transformed into various food products delivered through a variety of outlets.


And there are many constituents groups representing the players in agriculture across a wide ecosystem.

US Population

Number of US farmers


farmers only represent ~1.5% of the US population.

Everyone eats


Everyone eats

Why: To empower farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms.

Action: Training events, webinars to teach, share interviews of farmers and ranchers, run campaigns tied to dates/events, weekly chats, speak at events.

http://agchat.org/


AgChat got its start as an experiment on Twitter, creating a Twitter chat around food and agriculture. It evolved into a group of farmers and ranchers who wanted to help spread the word on how to use social media to bring agriculture’s voice to a larger audience.

http://agchat.org/

http://agchat.org/

Why: with less than 2% of the US population actually growing food, there is a disconnect to understanding who does produce food.

Action: create a campaign on Twitter around #FoodThanks, utilize a landing page to share info on how to participate, include Twibbon on Twitter avatars, and talk with people to encourage them to blog / thank farmers for our food.

http://foodthanks.com/




Who are some Ag Rockstars?


#oink

#moo

Organize ThankAFarmer

#FoodThanks

#FoodD


Educate


140 Conferences

Opening up their farms

Spread the word

Regular opportunitiesto share


Under The Hood

Bring volunteers/partnerstogether to help

with programming, training, & outreach.


Under The Hood

Look at data to help assess

ecosystem


Under The Hood

Provide communityspace for Q&A,

support, and comments.


Empowering farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms.

https://www.facebook.com/AgChatFoundation

https://twitter.com/agchatfoundhttps://twitter.com/agchat

http://agchat.org/austin




https://twitter.com/agchatfound






Thanks to the Extension team running the National eXtension Conference/National Extension

Directors and Administrators Joint Meeting for the opportunity to


Thanks to the Extension team running the National eXtension Conference/National Extension Directors and Administrators Joint Meeting for the opportunity to provide you information you can use.

Contact Information

[email protected]@TruffleMediaTruffleMedia.com/Facebook

(877) 558-7833TruffleMedia.com


Contact Truffle via Phone: (877) 558-7833, Twitter: @TruffleMedia, Facebook: TruffleMedia.com/Facebook, and web: TruffleMedia.com.

john blue - building community is not a project, it is a process

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