Pulsing the Positives: Telling your Farming Story Through Social Media - Erin Brenneman, Washington County, Iowa, Pork Producer, from the 2015 Iowa Pork Congress, January 28-29, Des Moines, IA, USA. More presentations at http://www.swinecast.com/2015-iowa-pork-congress

1. Pulsing the Positives:
Telling your Farming Story
Through Social Media
Erin Brenneman

2. Born and Raised in LaGrange Park, IL
Population: 13,659

3. A Suburb of Chicago

4. Where did the animals come in?

5. Growing up “farm kid”-a dream realized

8. Attended Iowa State University
2000-2004

9. • Tim would come home on the weekends to
“work”
• I came to the farm to check out why and my
eyes were opened to an alien world of
“agriculture”
• I was amazed by how the farm works and all
that they do to raise food
• And he was intrigued by the city
The Beginning…

10. This city girl
married her
Pig farmer
way before The
Bachelor made it

11. From City Lights to Starry
Nights

12. What the City Folk
Thought…
• You’re going to be lonely!
• You will be out of touch with the modern world.
(lucky if you have a landline)
• You do nothing in the wintertime.
• All corn is sweet corn.
• Why do people wave when they don’t even know
you?
• Big Farms = Bad Corporate Farms, right??

13. What the Country Folk
Thought
• I’m from Chicago area, I’m in a gang.
• I have massive road rage.
• I can’t get my hands dirty.
• “Should be” Fashionable. (I’m the only one that
wears sweat pants CONSTANTLY)
• I’m less caring, my values are different.
• I should be a stuck up snob.
• I have no social ability (Just keep walking, we
don’t wave when we drive).

14. My Neighborhood has
Changed…

15. I bounced around immersing
myself in everything there was to
do on the farm!

16. I Found the farrowing house
And have been in there ever
since!
I moved
to a
Farm…

17. …I Found a Family

18. In the course of 10 years I have gotten married, had
2 kids (boys), learned an entire new way of life-pig
farming, become a day-one farrowing specialist,
learned data entry for sow farm, learned to run the
tractor, grain cart, ripper, cultivator, combine…pretty
much anything when someone else needed to go fix
something else…
It Has Been a Lot to Take in!!
And now I’m beginning
to share our
farms amazing story.

20. Where did the disconnect come
from?
• Farmers have been doing amazing things,
growing in awesome ways
• Efficient
• Hard Working
• Determined
• “Agvocating” was not one until
only recently

21. “Midwest Palm Tree
Effect”

22. People have an idea of what they think
most farm families look like and how they
are involved
?

23. What
they
might
picture
our
modern
family
farm
looks likeWhat our
modern
family farm
looks like

24. They are most likely surprised of
what our farms are like today, and
choose from there
Creates Confusion-why do we use certain practices?
Unknown Methods
•People don’t think “technology” when they think “farm”
Scary
•Fear of the unknown and the disconnect itself
•Especially when in involves something you use everyday-Food
Mind made up
•Fast + Big = Bad
•“Sherlock” theory“Ah, Moriarty is smart. He planted that
doubt in her head; that little nagging
sensation. You’re going to have to be
strong to resist. But you can’t kill an
idea, can you? Not once it’s made a
home... there (in your head).”

25. Farmers need to be
planting the ideas!
Not watching the
weeds grow

26. Consumers were having conversations
about us, without us.
It’s time to catch up and
join in!!

28. Using Social Media to
Connect
• It has come a long way in a very short time
and will continue to speed up!
• My Space, AOL instant messenger-those were
the coolest when I graduated college!
• Then came along the big dogs:

29. What Connects?
• I’ve discovered that it is the little things that we as farmers don’t
think much about everyday that are the most fascinating to
people who don’t know (mainly what I found interesting
resonated)
• People don’t think beyond the final product and all of the
important inputs and different people that it takes to raise pigs
• These are the things we need to share!

30. Just Be Yourself!
• People want to know that we are people, with
families, here everyday, caring for our farm/animals
just like everyone else
• Focus on what your passion is, and be transparent
with it!
• What we do is amazing, embrace it

31. If you get lost, Remember…
• Who you are trying to reach?
• What are their concerns?
• I don’t have time to sit on twitter all
day-I have a farm to take care of, and
that’s okay!
• Answer honest, curious questions
• Always offer a personal interaction
Believe in what you do.

32. • Once I became comfortable with who I was
and what we represented started to branch
out and share the little things that I enjoy
• Use my personal page to steer people in that
direction (I still have city friends)
“Pulsing the Positives”

33. Stuff Worth Sharing:
Family Farm & Farming Family

34. Kids

35. Family

36. Farm
Tours

37. Non-Animal Related Content is
Important
Returns us back to the “human” realm

38. Facebook Provides Great
Insights

39. Like, Comment, and Share

40. Like, Comment, and Share

41. Time Matters

42. • Just recently became involved with Twitter
• @sowmomma
• 140 characters of craziness
• No room for fluff, even less room if you use a
picture
• Get your points/views across fast

43. #HashtagMania!
• Utilize different # to reach different audiences
with similar interests
• Keep hashtags relevant
• Can get too long-but
effective if used in
the right way
#thepigsdidntlikemetryingtoteachthemyoga

44. We are not about
pitting one style
of farming against
another, it really
does take all
kinds.
We like to show how a
larger farm like us is
still intensely family
involved. I love
waking up and
working with pigs

45. “Faces of Farming and
Ranching”

47. An opportunity to reach a
broader audience and show my
love for farming!
I understand the fears firsthand and I simply want
to help people find some answers to their
concerns.
I could have been a “skeptic” had I not moved to
the farm.

48. Thomas Titus-
Pig Farmer, IL
Carla Wardin-
Dairy Farmer, MI

49. Jay Hill-
Nut and
Vegetable
Farmer,
NM
Darrel Glasser-
Turkey Farmer,
TX

50. Questions you need to feel out
for effective content:
• What are their concerns?
• What are their questions?
• Address and explain these before
they are potentially wrongly
presented as something “bad” by
someone else
• Stay ahead of the concerns
• Show your human side
• Show reality, show ups and
downs

51. Everyone Needs to Join the
Conversation
• Time to open up “Gloves are Off”
• Transparency: We have nothing to hide
• If you want to hide something- then you
should take a second look at that practice at
your farm
• Walk through your day once with
“prying eyes”
• Every step you take may present a great
opportunity to share something interesting!

52. • Will not win trust with
just 10 strong voices-it is
going to have to take a
lot more
• If you have a passion and
believe in what you do it
is easy to share
• People are listening-
don’t worry!
• Open up and express
your passion!

53. Why I Share
• I go out every day and get to do
something I love and I am
passionate about with people that
I love
• As a reward, my family farm helps
to feed 2 million people each year-
I am proud of that
• My children will get to grow up
“farm”

54. What do I share?

55. We are constantly connecting with
consumers about our farm everyday!
Brenneman Pork Inc.
“Pictorial of a Family Pork Farm”

56. @sowmomma

57. Thank You!