farm blogger helping farmers blog
Chris has only been blogging at Small Nebraska Farming for less than a month. His latest post shows he’s got what it takes to be a top notch blogger. He is
another one of whom I am jealous of their ability to put so much feeling and depth into his writing.
1. Tell a little about you and your farm background.
My Dad and I farm in Eastern Nebraska on our family farm with a few rented farms to add into the acres. Since I was a kid I have always wanted to be a part of the AG world. After high school I took a job working for DirecTV and then Regional Manager Central District in Oklahoma City. That moved me away from the farm for 4 very long years. I came back every fall to help Dad with harvest, but then back to Oklahoma City I went, always wanting to stay, but knowing financially I couldn’t. Finally this year, 2012, with my new wife of 18months, we were able to finally move back home. Now I’m back on the farm where I belong, wife next to me every step of the way, and learning what I’ve missed out on from Dad every day. This year I’m hoping to work out a loan from the Beginning Farmer Program to start raising beef cattle of my own and see where it takes me from there.
2. What made you want to start your blog?Back in Oklahoma City I was using SN’s to talk with friends and what not. Now out here, I wanted to communicate with other farmers, ranchers, and producers. I wanted to learn from someone outside of our area, to see how things are done in different states with different climates. Then along came the talks about how the consumer doesn’t know where it gets its dinner from and how its up to us as producers to share our story of how our lives are lived and how our animals are treated and cared for, and how our crops are grown so the rest of the world can better understand what it takes. That’s when I thought of Small Nebraska Farming blog. I wanted to give those that read my blog, a behind the scenes type of look at what its like on a farm, a small family farm. We don’t have hired hands, we don’t have stock brokers or crop management offices telling us when and what to do. We’re out here day in and day out to make a living. I wanted the country, the world, to see that side of the farmer. It’s not just about riding in a tractor out here, there is more to it than that and it’s up to us, the farmer, to show that.
3. What has been the biggest surprise since you started? or something you didn’t expect:
My latest and so far most viewed blog “Occupation: Farmer” was just a simple blog that I almost didn’t write because it seemed to emotional for a guy to write. But after much thought I figured why not, it was just a conversation between my wife….. well, a conversation FROM my wife to me, about being a farmer and a farmer’s wife, so why not. In turn my views have 4x the amount of my last post. That was something I didn’t expect, and now that I have an audience, I really look forward to sharing what the farm is all about to all these folks.
4. What was the hardest part about getting started? how did you overcome this?
WRITERS BLOCK! I felt like I had this blog, this awesome way to communicate my thoughts with the world, so what do I write now. It’s Winter in Nebraska, we’re grinding corn and feeding cattle, how boring. I had to really stop and tell myself to calm down and be patient and let the events come to me. If this blog is going to be about our farm, then let it be. If we don’t do anything today, oh well, it’ll be there another day when something is going on. And so I do exactly that. I let it go until there is something done around here worthy of writing about.5. What are you wanting to learn next? and why?
I’m still young, I have a lot to learn, and this blogging is something beyond new to me. I’m open to suggestions about anything on any topic about any reason. I want to know how to get to that audience of thousands instead of a hundred… but I know that answer as well… TIME.
Chris has seen what kind of post it takes to draw an audience. He just has to keep up the good work. Chris’ blog is Small Nebraska Farming follow him on twitter @OKCableGuy
Hello, I'm FARMnWIFE: A wife that farms in the middle of the mid-west. I created this site to help anyone involved in ag to raise their voice and tell their farm story online by creating or improving their blogs.
Being Sociable