Trained. Energized. Networked. Individual.

Trained. Energized. Networked. The individuals who came to this week’s AgChat Foundation Agvocacy 2.0 training conference commented over and over again that these were some of the key benefits of the conference.

Farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. got together to trade tips about social media. Some of them led panels or gave presentations – but all seemed to take notes about what they could do.

Everyone arrived at the event with a tangible energy. And many of the participants and trainers arrived with names of social media “friends” from Twitter and Facebook. They recognized other participants from videos, photos and knew immediately that a wide range of farms were represented — wide ranges of acres, crops, farming practices and philosophies. Smiles and tips were traded day and night.

We look forward to sharing some of the information presented at the event here on the AgChat Foundation blog in the coming weeks and months (guest bloggers certainly welcome). We start the same way the incredible event started. With a video about the revolution farmers are creating through social media.

We hope you find this video something you will want to share with family and friends as you talk to the about the efforts of the AgChat Foundation and The Evolution of Online Agvocacy.

Agvocacy 2.0…an amazing event in Chicago

There are two great fears when putting on an event, especially for the first time:

1. Will anyone show up?
2. Will it be any good once they do?

For Agvocacy 2.0, the answer to both was a resounding, YES!

More than 50 attendees–farmers and agriculture advocates–gathered this past Monday and Tuesday to refine their social media skills with an eye on reaching the vast majority of our population with no direct contact to food production. Topics ranged from Twitter apps, to blogging tips, to Facebook strategies to message development and video production.

Small group breakouts were part of the mix