DAIRYFARMERS are embracing social media to share their stories, thanks to an initiative by DairySA.
DairySA and Legendairy have teamed to host a series of workshops aimed at helping dairyfarmers learn about social media benefits and the best ways to use it.
DairySA Communications coordinator and workshop presenter Louise Stock said the workshops, which originally started in SA, were now being embraced by other states, with one held in western Vic, Qld and WA.
"Nearly two years ago DairySA embarked on a social media strategy and as part of our plan we wanted to upskill dairy farmers on the benefits of social media, not just personally but also from an industry and business point of view as well," she said.
Louise said social media was a great way to promote and sell a business.
"You can get true information out there about what farming is about - a farmer's love of the land and their animals and their passion for farming," she said.
Louise said many animal welfare activists were proficient at social media, and joining in could be a good way for farmers to counteract claims.
"Farmers need to be on that medium, putting their story out there," she said.
Louise said the workshops had seen a wide range of people in their 20s through to people in their late 60s participating.
"They're nearly all on facebook socially but we've shown ways you can use it for business and industry purposes," she said.
The workshops also introduced twitter and its benefits.
"Many dairyfarmers are blogging across Australia and they use facebook and twitter to attract readers," she said.
"Listening to what others are saying, and responding, is just as important as pushing information out when it comes to social media.
"From a DairySA perspective we are using it to get out industry information to help them run a profitable and sustainable business".
More workshops are expected in SA next year.
