Animal activists accuse farmers of being secretive and I’ve just asked attendees at the Future Focused AgOz conference why they aren’t blogging their personal farm stories. Here were their responses:
- Scary
- Just want to get on with the business of farming – maybe it’s someone else’s job
- Lots of farmers don’t realise that what they do is amazing, that it’s newsworthy. There’s a perception that the daily grind is not interesting and that we may not be capable of presenting the bigger picture
- Is it worth it? Will anybody read the blog?
- The confidence they have the skills
- Don’t feel they need or want to do it
- Need to find the farmers who are interested in blogging and who will present farming positively
- A desire to maintain privacy. You’re letting them into your private place
- Uncertainty about who you are writing to
- Uncertainty of how to handle attacks.
As Lynne Strong says, there is a need for a circle of support people behind farmer bloggers. Maybe the agvocacy community needs to spread its wings beyond the net and reassure aspiring bloggers that they are not alone.
The Milk Maid Marian 