Those who know Ginger Myers know that she is engaging and knowledgeable, but
Ginger Myers
no nonsense. At the Producer’s Digital Toolbox class in Prince Frederick on April 15th, she noted that farmers who sell a product directly to consumers really need a website, and that “if you don’t have a webpage, it is like you don’t have a phone.” She said that you can have all the social media you want, but it works best if it directs consumers to your farm business website.
She and Shannon Dill are an effective tag team with a broad knowledge of farming and what farm businesses need to succeed. Ginger staffs the UM Extension Maryland Agricultural Marketing Program and Shannon is an Extension Agent with Talbot County UM Extension. Shannon assists producers of Talbot and surrounding counties in farm business, small farm enterprises, marketing and equine management. Both are lead team members on the Beginning Farmer Success Collaborative.
Shannon Dill
Farmers from Southern Maryland came to learn more about the variety of social media tools, but the class provided even more. The attendees came with a wide range of computer experience and many will need to upgrade their hardware. Shannon began with a summary of trends in customer hardware use from desktops to laptops, tablets and smart phones. Producers will need to identify their social media goals, as part of their business plan development. Then they will need to be mindful of web utilization trends and upgrade their hardware to handle the software they need.
Ginger provided real life farmer experiences on the use of the many social media options, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. Co-0wner of Evermore Farm in Carroll County, she knows from personal experience the benefits of social media.
At the end of the session, attendees had more questions about how to create their own website. Shannon and Ginger gave them the options. Then Ginger cautioned attendees that for the next generation, not having a website will be like you don’t even exist!
Time to get busy!