The Ag Center: There is Always Room for Improvement

In AGED 404 - Agriculture Leadership, I was asked what kind of news and or ag-related pages we follow or subscribe to. To be honest, I could think of very few, so I hopped on Instagram and began to dig. During my hunt, I stumbled upon The Ag Center. 

What's The Ag Center?

It started out in 2018 as the recognition of a need, and from there The Ag Center was born. Dough Brunner, a former dairyman, now farmer, saw the need for growth and progress in the California farming community and wanted to help meet the need. 

Located originally in Merced and now in Tulare as well, The Ag Center serves as a one-stop-shop where ag professionals can connect with quality services. The array of services range from things like land acquisition and asset and crop management to marketing and finance services. Farmers can be sure to find solutions with the Ag Centers' variety of affiliates, whether the problem is complex or simple.

The Ag Center & New Media

While the Ag Center has a physical location, it lives and has built a following on new media platforms and has gained the recognition of the younger and future generations involved in the agricultural industry. I did not visit their website until after I discovered their Instagram and wanted to learn more.  From there I was really impressed by their involvement on multiple platforms and commitment to creating content. 

 

Instagram:

 What seems to be the place where most of their audience is engaging and where most of their PR and Market efforts are directed is on Instagram. On Instagram, the Ag center has gained a following of over 5,300 followers. They post a combination of video and photos promoting the companies they are affiliated with, their own brand, and some giveaways as well. They receive about 400 likes on photos and their videos typically are viewed between 1,500 and 4,500 times. They share a variety of content that is not monotonous and post with the intelligence of the agricultural industry. They also have made their feed professional looking and aesthetic, while keeping the fed focused in the direction of informing and helping consumers.

The Toast Podcast: 

The Ag Center does a great job with using diverse platforms. Podcasts are a form of New Media that has been gaining popularity among consumers. People can listen to things that are interesting to them wherever they are as long as they have a mobile phone. The Ag Center podcast The Toast is hosted by Dough Brunner and Kieth Yamamoto and features guests from farmers to venture capitalists. They cover topics all pertaining to agriculture. Hosts Brunner and Yamamoto are young entrepreneurs in ag who are passionate about exploring the modern side of ag, how things are quickly evolving, and how young entrepreneurs can get involved and stay informed. Episodes are uploaded about once a month. 

Monthly Newsletter: 

On The Ag Center website, you can access their newsletter. They have a newsletter that they send out and upload on their website every month. You can also subscribe to the newsletter and get it sent to your email. In the newsletter, they feature different content than on their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Here is a place where they let you know more about them as a company. They have employee highlights and also promote their affiliates. 

Blog: 

Much like the newsletter, people can access the companies blog on their website. They publish content on the blog every week. Their posts are normally short little blurbs that are often accompanied by photos and videos. Again these highlight employees and other people and companies in the industry using interviews. 

My Recommendations

Although I admire the way this new brand has stepped into the social and new media scene and think there is a lot they are doing great, there is always room for improvement. Through being in just 4 weeks of this class, I can recognize a few things that I would change or recommend implementing. 

In regards to Twitter and Facebook, you will notice that they do not have dedicated sections above. This is because I do not think that these platforms are being used to their full potential by The Ag Center. 

Facebook, a new media staple that has the capability to reach a broader audience, than what is being currently reached by The Ag Center. While their focus is to reach the new and future generations involved in the industry, and Facebook is not the most current or popular among younger people, it still is a platform I think could be better utilized. While they have their Facebook linked in on their website, the page only has 510 followers, a very small number compared to Instagram and the content posted is the same that is posted on Instagram.

Without looking up The Ag Center on Twitter, it would be hard to find them. There is no trace of promotion anywhere. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and the podcast, Twitter is not linked on their website. On this platform, they have even less of a following than Facebook with only 35 followers, and, again, they are posting the same content as they post on Instagram with the occasional retweets and mentions on the feed as well. 

My recommendation for these two platforms, as well as their blog and newsletter,  would be to not fall victim to the deadly sin of uniformity. Look at audiences on Twitter and Instagram and tailor the content posted here to fit those audiences. There is no point in following the company on all three platforms or subscribing to both their newsletter and blog if you are just going to be seeing the same content over and over again. I would also create a plan on how to grow a following on their less popular platforms. One idea could be to do a giveaway promotion on Instagram but to enter you have to be following their Facebook and Twitter as well. 

I love that the Ag Center has a podcast. My only recommendation for it would be to become more regular with uploading. When people know that a new episode comes out the second Monday of every month or every other Tuesday, they are more likely to keep up with it, and that means more streams and an increase in popularity. 

Overall Thoughts:

All in all, the Ag center does a good job of creating content that is appealing to their audiences and beneficial to their brand. It is clear that they are trying to be innovators in the agricultural industry when it comes to New media usage and you can tell through the actions they take that their relationship with their consumers and affiliates is one that is very important to them!