AgChat Foundation’s annual social media training set for August in Kansas City

In its third year, the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 event is poised to be its most dynamic social media training opportunity yet.

The conference will be held Aug. 23-24 in Kansas City, Missouri, where farmers and ranchers from across the nation will convene to learn how to better support agriculture and engage with non-farm consumers.

Advocacy 2.0 is hosted by the AgChat Foundation, a primarily volunteer organization that aims to empower farmers and ranchers to “agvocate” by connecting consumers with accurate information about farming and food production using social media.

“Advocacy 2.0 is all about giving farmers and ranchers tools they need to share their stories and the story of agriculture with consumers through tools like Facebook, Twitter and blogs,” says AgChat Foundation Executive Director Emily Zweber.

“Only 2 percent of people in the United States are farmers, meaning 98 percent of our population is not actively involved in food production. This leaves a huge gap between the farm and the dinner plate. Farmers have the ability to fill this gap by sharing information about their farm and production methods.”

The two-day event will explore how to effectively share agriculture’s message through:

• Twitter community building
• Facebook profiles, pages and groups
• High-impact video
• Blog basics and beyond
• Real-world case studies

For farmers interested in participating, applications will be available online in May. The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Kansas City.  FG

—From AgNewsWire news release