Making a Connection

 Farmers and ranchers are currently discovering what many great humorists over the years have known all along; want to make a point without alienating your audience, use humor and personal stories to get a serious message across in a way that will have people smiling, or crying, connecting, and thinking all at the same time. Mark Twain knew this, so did Will Rogers. Instead of cursing technology many farmers are embracing it as a way to reach out to their non-farming neighbors and the consumers. The social media network is vast and platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Twitter make it easy for farmers and ranchers to connect with their customers, showing them how their food is produced, while sharing in regular writings and pictures all the hard work, joys, struggles and daily frustrations that go along with it. Someone in a NewYork townhouse probably can’t relate to hail, wind, or fire damaged crops, but post pictures of a farmer and his family sifting through whats left of their home, barn, and outbuildings after a tornado and a connection and foundation for mutual understanding will have been built.