We might not always think of farming when we think of the Internet, but the world of agriculture is growing an ever bigger online presence and cultivating its own apps and websites. Darragh Doyle, a man who knows a thing or two about what's weird and wonderful online, joined Moncrieff at the National Ploughing Championships to take us through wellies and websites.
You can listen back to his full segment below, but here's what you need to know from the Internet this week...
- An opening video:
Recently published from the Huntley Film Archives, a clip from Northern Ireland showing a farm in the 1950s. Oh how far we’ve come…
- Tweeting farmers' tweet-ups and online chats
There is a pretty active farmer and rural community on Twitter and at the Championships each day there are real life tweet ups - in the IFA tent (block three, row 23, stand 399) for farmers, non farmers, tweeters and non tweeters. so it’ll be a chance for the people who usually only interact on there to meet in real life over a cup of tea and some biscuits.
#AgChatIRL is a forum for discussion and idea sharing for the agri community online and they run discussions on specific topics every Wednesday night from 9pm.
Don’t forget: @agchatirl tweetups every day at the IFA stand during #Ploughing15 #AgChatIRL pic.twitter.com/PIKyDypkeU
— Irish Farmers' Assoc (@IFAmedia) September 20, 2015
There’s also the account @irelandsfarmers, which had its 52nd farmer hosting the account for a week last month. Another account that I’ve spotted is @miriamthecow - who is sharing all her updates from the Ploughing and her life as a dairy cow recently.
The girls taking all the attention in their stride @LelyForageDairy Hotel #Ploughing2015 pic.twitter.com/Vi5g5x97eR
— Miriam TheCow (@MiriamTheCow) September 22, 2015
Over on Boards.ie they have forums for Farming, Beekeeping, Forestry, Sheep with discussions on everthing from AI to coeilac Oats, to Photosensitization to - and it’s important stuff with over 7,800 replies at this stage - What’s the Weather like in your area.
- The Farmers' Journal on Snapchat and Whatsapp
The Farmers Journal has been around since 1948 - some 67 years. And it's pretty much the go to place for the farming community. As well as their publication and website, and a pretty nifty app for the Ploughing this year, they’re also using Whatsapp and Snapchat in a big way.
From a dedicated app to Snapchat, we have a lot planned online for #Ploughing2015! http://t.co/jDvGbkAg5W pic.twitter.com/rRUjIGdNBh
— Farmers Journal (@farmersjournal) September 10, 2015
A new app being launched at the ploughing by the IFA is the iFarm app, which gives farmers quick access to a range of information but with a main focus on price information.
Because of the poor broadband in a lot of areas of the country, the idea is to help farmers to get to information with a few taps when they’re out and about.
- And finally...
The Peterson Farming Brothers of Assaria, Kansas, have made quite a splash with their agricultural parody of LMFAO's one-hit wonder I'm Sexy and I Know It. Check it out below:
To see what got covered last week, click here. You can listen back to this week's segment below:
