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Cab Conversations, Get Growing No. 6

This week in Get Growing, Meghan Grebner, Indiana Farm Director, talks with farmers from the I-states, about which technologies can help farmers better tell their agricultural stories.

Brian Scott,  Indiana
Erin Brenneman, Washington, Iowa
Thomas Titus, Elkhart, Illinois

Show Notes:
Incorporating Technology into Telling your Story

Meghan Grebner: Makes introductions and asks the group to tell a bit about how planting is going and how their crops are looking in the area.
Brian Scott: He says crops are looking good and beans went in, but in less than perfect conditions, he is also side dressing corn.
Meghan Grebner: Asks Brian to explain more about his methods of side dressing corn in detail.
Brian Scott: Says he switched up his program in recent years, he used to do a lot of fall applied and pre-plant and then side dress after. Now, he says he doesn’t use fall apply, only some pre-plant and they are almost to 100% side dress.
Meghan Grebner:  Asks Brian about the benefits of side dressing.
Brian Scott:  He explains it is better for the environment than the other options and it also is more beneficial when it comes to returns from the crop.
Meghan Grebner: Asks Thomas for a crop update in his area.
Thomas Titus: He says planting has been great and they have been cutting a lot of hay the last few weeks. Rain has caused beans to slow from getting out of the ground, but this week’s weather will cause everything to finally come up.
Erin Brenneman: She shares that everything in her area looks great and after this week’s weather it should be looking awesome.
Meghan Grebner: Asks Thomas and Erin what they are doing in Des Moines, Iowa at the World Pork Expo and how they will be sharing the message of pork.
Thomas Titus: Says they are participating in a panel with Chris Soules from the Bachelor about transparency in agriculture and how people can tell their stories better.
Erin Brenneman: Shares that it is very important to help farmers understand that they can open up and share about their farms because it is important for them to share their stories and their passion.
Meghan Grebner: Asks what kind of forms of social media they use?
Thomas Titus: He says Snapseed is helpful in editing pictures, but also highlights the main three he uses which are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. He also says to focus on whichever ones you are good at and incorporate more as you learn.
Erin Brenneman: She adds that if you do all forms, you most likely will get burnt out and frustrated quickly. Focusing on one, she says, is much more effective.
Meghan Grebner: Asks Brian about his use of drones and other technologies on his farm and The Farmers Life.
Brian Scott: He says he has taken several drone photos and other footage that has spiked a lot of interest online recently.
Meghan Grebner: Asks why this technology is helpful for people who aren’t from a farm.
Brian Scott: He explains that through drones and this technology that consumers can better understand how large fields actually are and what kind of machinery farmers work with everyday. This technology helps him be more transparent too.
Meghan Grebner: Opens the floor up for them to ask each other questions.
Thomas Titus: He asks Brian what kind of drone he would need as a beginner.
Brian Scott: Says that he was a beginner two years ago and started with DJI Phantom 2. He says drones are very easy to use and you can get a lot of really cool footage with them.