Older producers are making the transition to digital count.

Leon Corzine, a fifth-generation farmer from Assumption, Ill., does not use Twitter, but expects to do so in the future. The 60-year-old tells us, “So many things are happening to put agriculture in a defensive position. Our consumers are receiving misinformation or a lack of information.”

McCauley finds Facebook to be a valuable tool for building relationships with landlords. He admits the Internet is changing the way we do business. Realizing it’s important for producers to take an active role in educating consumers, he says the social platform is the best way to reach more people. McCauley farms 4500 acres with his son, Brad, age 31. Brad has also begun to build business relationships through the Internet.

Beyond issues management, most did not see social media becoming a viable marketing tool, at least in the short-term. McCauley is not convinced marketers will have the same access as individuals within the social platform. Concerned about social sites cluttered with marketing messages, McCauley thinks there are still better ways to talk to consumers. He expects social media to refine itself over the next few years and isn’t sure of the role marketing messages will play in that refinement process. A self-proclaimed magazine and radio guy, he still considers print and broadcast to be the best way to talk to producers.

Though our primary goal was to discuss media usage, we discovered that the way capital purchases are made differs, too. Merri Post and her husband have owned and operated a dairy farm near Chandler, Minn., for 18 years. They recently saved thousands of dollars on a skid steer purchase—even with travel and expenses added in—by thoroughly researching the buy.