Living in Midtown Memphis, it seems that visiting a farm may be hard. Where do you even start? Sure we have the AgriCenter here and a number of great farmers’ markets, but a farm itself? How do you go about finding a farmer if you don’t know one?
For those of us in the greater Memphis area, I like this site that helps you find autumn farm fun by county called Pumpkin Patches and More. It seem to cater more to the people who would like the experience of being in a farm environment with the accessibility of pumpkin patches, corn maizes, etc. As far as friends who farm in the immediate Mid-South, I have lots, but so farm I’m not sure any of them are online. So if you want a more production oriented visit, let me know!
More and more, farmers are out here on the web, with many telling their stories through social media. You can visit these farms from the comfort of your favorite easy chair with air-conditioning pumping! Some of my favorite farms to visit online:
- Doug Martin is a farmer I’ve never met but he earned a special place in my heart. Not only is he the kind of farmer who posts things routinely enough that I feel like I’ve been to his farm in Illinois, but he’s a farmer who puts quick snippets out on his blog updating us on the weather, his crops, etc. Martin Family Farms blog / Facebook page / Twitter account
- A farm that is much closer to me is Gilmer Dairy Farm in Sulligent, Alabama. And on the videos, I totally feel at home with Will’s accent — he’s the family’s point person for social media and gets out front providing information in fun formats. The GDF MooTube minutes are a hit (check out their YouTube Channel for songs, voCOWbulary lessons, and more). Once you are caught up there, you will definitely want to like the Facebook page, follow Will on Twitter and read the blog. Or a combination of these like me!
- A twitter friend I finally met in real life Katie Pinke, lives on a family farm in North Dakota. Love that she & her mom make regular blog posts about life on the farm… as visual as I am, I love the photo stories where they snap photos of something likely considered routine for them but really interesting to me. They make me really want to visit North Dakota! And for beer drinkers, you can see barley!
- Agriculture Proud is a composite of different farms and perspectives — all sharing the pride of producing America’s food, feed & fiber. Recently graduate Ryan Goodman created a twitter hashtag (#agproud) that resonated and became a Facebook group and a blog. Great stories of various farms.
There are lots more farmers out here telling their stories every week. The ones above are just a start, more are on my blog list.
If you are interested in visiting a farm, but are not sure where to look online or in your area. Feel free to speak up!
If you farm & share your story online or in real life, feel free to step up and represent, especially if I don’t have you on the blog roll.
Janice, thanks so much for the kind words about our family farm blog. We love hearing that people are enjoying the photos & simple stories about our farming practices. My mom’s dedication to the blog by updating 5x a week hopefully does connect people and gives you a daily farm visit! I certainly hope you do get a chance to visit us on the prairies of North Dakota someday in person but for now keep on reading Griggs Dakota! Thanks again.
Great post. It is easier to get onto a farm than most people think. And the great thing is that farmers love having people out on their farms.
I was just in TN last week, and have posted a few pictures on my blog.
What caught my eye? “I was just in TN last week” and yet no call? No visit? I’m bummin hard! Thought we were friends! 😉