Michelle Miller, known for her brand “The Farm Babe,” joins the Ag Inspo podcast with Ron Rabou and Rena Striegel to share a few things members of the ag industry can do to more effectively communicate with consumers.  

By Cheyenne Kramer

Florida-based Michelle Miller is a farmer, social media influencer and speaker well known for her brand “The Farm Babe.” Through these platforms, she connects with consumers and debunks misconceptions about modern agriculture.

Miller recently joined an episode of the Ag Inspo podcast with hosts Rena Striegel and Ron Rabou to share more about her platform and what others in the ag industry can do to better reach consumers.

Have a Point of View

One of the keys to reaching a large audience and gaining traction, Miller says, is to make sure your content stands out.

“Part of my driving force is I had more of a big city background. Sometimes farmers take their perspective for granted because it’s all they know and all they’ve ever done. But for somebody on the outside looking in, it’s pretty incredible,” she says. “People have no idea what a harvest looks like. They have no idea what a combine does. They don’t know how livestock are raised. They’ve never seen the birth of a calf. How cool is that? Share it.”

Find What You’re Comfortable With

Maybe you have an interesting message to share, but–like many farmers–aren’t the type who is comfortable in front of the camera. Miller says there’s a way to make that work, too.

“Some of the greatest people to follow, in my opinion, are great to follow because you feel like you know them,” she says. “What were to happen if you were to bring your dog, your kids, your spouse or that goofy grandma or somebody who makes people laugh?”

Other great storytelling tools are captions and voiceovers.

“Maybe the video is just your equipment, but through the caption you can say, ‘Here is my John Deere combine. When we started farming in the ‘80s, it was $50,000 and now this is $900,000.’ You can create a message that improves policy and raises awareness and education for the general public through the caption,” Miller says.

Shoot Your Shot

Sometimes reaching the consumer is as simple as taking a chance and contacting them directly.

Miller recalls doing this when Burger King released a commercial that painted agriculture in a negative light, promoting its new initiative of feeding cattle lemongrass to reduce methane emissions.

“I thought ‘what if we could just have a conversation?’ So I Google searched who the global chief marketing officer for Burger King was, and I just sent him a tweet politely explaining why we found the ad so offensive, and inviting him to come on out to the farm,” she explains.

Burger King took her up on that offer.

“Their C-suite executives came out to the farm, and then I put together a two day tour. We went to a methane digester, feed lots and my farm. I had Iowa State involved, Iowa Farm Bureau and some ruminant nutritionists,” Miller says. They ended up retracting that original ad, and they did a new ad. A new commercial was filmed on my farm, as well as in northeast Iowa with a bunch of other farmers.”

As far as how to get started as an agriculture advocate, Miller offers this advice:

“Just take a step back and try to think about what you do and why. What are the greatest parts of your job? Tell that story, because you might see it every day, but the average person doesn’t. That’s the content that you put out there.”

The Ag Inspo podcast uncovers the stories that inspire, empower and drive change. Hosts Rena Striegel and Rob Rabou explore the journeys of farmers, entrepreneurs and leaders who are making a difference.

Check out all the AgInspo Podcasts on the Transition Point® Business Advisors YouTube Channel.

Transition Point® Business Advisors also as has a program entitled, The DIRTT Project®, which gives the American Farmer full control of their succession plan from beginning to end.  Go to our website to learn more about Transition Point Business Advisors and The DIRTT Project®.