Social Media in Agriculture

                Social media is a wonderful thing that is slowly making its mark to not only teenagers and young adults, but spreading to people from all ages and ethnicities across the world. I myself have been an avid user of Facebook as well as Twitter and with my English class in the winter have become pretty familiar with blog posts as well. They all are extremely fascinating for the fact that it can be seen by anyone in the world instantly, and allow feedback right away. I personally have always enjoyed agriculture, I grew up around it and the diversity of blogs from farming to meat production and even livestock allow the world to appreciate it just as much as me. For instance, one blog I have been following for quite some time is that of Matt and Phil Lautner’s. These two men have become a powerhouse in the show cattle industry due largely to their blogs and even Matt Lautner’s Facebook page. These two men own and promote club bulls used for semen in the show industry. Never before have two people been so dominant in this particular area and they can thank their success to social media. People all across the country can instantly upload pictures of show calves that have been just born or winners from national shows sired by their livestock. When people see these great calves it makes them want to use their bulls on their own calves, and in turn has made Matt and Phil Lautner very powerful and very rich in the club calf industry. I find all aspects of social media very helpful for every single person, because it allows people to get their thoughts across and for everyone to see. I also enjoyed the Farming America’s blog because it really got some great points across, like the most recent one over the conspiracy of “pink slime”. This opened my eyes and I’m sure many others who didn’t know what this was all about, especially those who viewed it from an urban background. Also, I feel they did a great job of shedding positive light on America’s farmers and why they are needed in this world. I believe everyone from any background could follow this blog and it will open their eyes to something’s that may not be noticed. Finally, I follow Craig Reiter's Twitter account, who is a huge advocate in the area of livestock sales and runs a large percentage of sales in the midwest  with some of the top livestock. Anybody that follows him can be up to date on upcoming sales and their livestock featured within them. This advantage has made him even more money than ever before thanks to social media, especially Twitter.  I know one thing is certain, and that is I will continue using social media in every aspect, and even will start using it for my own personal benefit to this world.