NE farmers willing to share their experiences via Twitter.

TWEET CORN?
Nebraska farmers sharing their experiences via Twitter Micro-blogging tool provides a glimpse of farm life and food production.

LINCOLN, NE ­ If a farmer uses Twitter to talk about planting the latest hybrid, would you call it ³tweet corn²?

>From corn and soybean farmers to livestock producers, Nebraska farmers
>who
have flocked to Twitter provide insight on those subjects and more by ³tweeting² what they are up to on any given day ­ and helping their ³tweeps² (Twitter followers) and others around the world better understand farming, farm life and food production.

³Posts on Twitter are captured in real time and provide a peek into the life of farmers. People can read what we¹re working on that day, the issues we¹re facing, why we do the things we do and more,² said Debbie Borg, a farmer from Allen. ³If people choose, they can join Twitter and ask us questions.²

Borg, who is known as ³@iamafarmer2² on Twitter, frequently posts information on planting and crop progress, cattle production and related issues. She said Twitter is easy to use with a web browser or other software that will help keep track of people you decide to ³follow.² By following someone, you can see what they have posted and their replies to others who are on Twitter.

³This time of year I¹m posting about planting progress, problems that come up some days and issues that are important to me as a corn farmer,² said Brandon Hunnicutt, a farmer from Giltner. Hunnicutt is ³@cornfedfarmer² on Twitter.

Other Nebraska farmers on Twitter include Ryan Weeks of Juniata
(³@huskerfarm²) and Susan Littlefield (³@firefighter89²) of Surprise. Weeks has been posting planting and crop progress updates and related information, while Littlefield has been describing the impact of weather on her operation and providing updates on lambing.

³Twitter is unique in that it is relatively simple to use and posts are a maximum of 140 characters so people can read them quickly,² Hunnicutt said.
³It¹s a great way for anyone to follow a farmer and see what we¹re up to.²

Borg said Twitter is also a great way to ask farmers questions if someone doesn¹t understand what is happening or why. ³I¹d encourage anyone to have a look and pose a question if they are looking for a better understanding of why farmers do what they do and food production in general. If we don¹t know the answer, we¹ll find someone who can help,² Borg said.

To see what these farmers are up to, just follow these web addresses or search for their username at Twitter.com:

§ Debbie Borg: www.twitter.com/iamafarmer2
§ Brandon Hunnicutt: www.twitter.com/cornfedfarmer
§ Ryan Weeks: www.twitter.com/huskerfarm
§ Susan Littlefield: www.twitter.com/firefighter89