A simple fact is that fewer people around the world are growing up on farms or ranches. With this increasing disconnect from agriculture, many are becoming curious about where their food comes from.
Farmers and ranchers are meeting the public where they are — on social media, with the goal of sharing the story of agriculture. Whether you love or hate social media, it presents an opportunity that many in agriculture are leveraging.
Some producers use these platforms to enhance their marketing strategies and sell directly to consumers. Others share a “day in the life,” giving followers an inside look at how a farm or ranch operates. Many content creators combine both approaches.
For producers considering sharing their operations online, it’s important to understand key strategies for managing these platforms effectively.
At the 2026 Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference, hosted recently by Nebraska Farm Bureau, Dan Venteicher shared his experiences running the IowaDairyFarmer social media accounts. Through his TikTok, Facebook and Instagram channels, Venteicher has seen both the benefits and challenges of posting farm content online.
Set yourself up for success
Venteicher operates a 200-head dairy farm alongside his father and brother. Their operation embraces technology, including milking robots that assist with daily tasks. In March 2021, Venteicher posted his first TikTok under the handle “IowaDairyFarmer,” which he had reserved in 2010.
Now, with years of experience posting online, Venteicher speaks to other farmers about what to expect when sharing farm content on social media.
“This whole conversation about social media, advocating and sharing our lives online, this is all something that’s going to eventually fade,” Venteicher said. “I want to make sure we don’t put too much emphasis on making this our identity because there are bigger things in life that matter.”
Venteicher emphasized the importance of evaluating how social media affects your personal life. While positive comments from viewers can be encouraging, negative comments are inevitable.
“If you only get good comments, are you actually educating people?” Venteicher asked.
His point is that if your goal is to educate others about agriculture, negative feedback is a sign you’re reaching the audience you intend to reach.
How to approach social media
For those considering sharing their operations online, Venteicher offered five tips to avoid burning out and to use social media as an effective tool:
1. Guard your interior life. Sharing your day-to-day life on social media can become overwhelming. Protecting your peace and the well-being of those around you is essential for long-term success.
“Your peace must be protected,” Venteicher said. “Everything we take in shapes us. Peace isn’t accidental. You must work at it, and you have to work at it harder if you want to share on social media.”
He encouraged producers to ask themselves, “What has more access to your life than it deserves?”
2. Attention is currency. Venteicher compares attention to the new oil, explaining that social media platforms profit from your attention. If you don’t see a product being sold, then you are the product.
“Algorithms reward emotion, not truth or wisdom,” Venteicher said. “That’s why I showed a picture of my family on the first slide. Social media doesn’t get to touch that. I don’t just mean I don’t show them; I mean I choose them over social media.”
He advised producers to spend their attention wisely, both as consumers and creators of content.
3. You don’t owe the internet access to your soul. Venteicher has successfully connected with his audience without sharing every detail of his life.
“We don’t have to share everything,” he said. “Authenticity has been redefined as oversharing. We don’t have to be vulnerable with every single aspect to connect with consumers.”
4. Engagement is not the same as fulfillment. When crafting a social media strategy, focus on quality over quantity.
“Likes do not equal meaning,” Venteicher said. “Subconsciously, when you post a video that goes viral with 100,000 views, and the next one gets 500, you think, ‘What did I do wrong?’ Probably nothing.”
He reminded producers that success on social media isn’t always about numbers.
5. Silence is not weakness. Venteicher advised against feeling the need to comment on everything. He also encouraged taking breaks from posting if social media becomes overwhelming.
“If you let the praise go to your head, the criticism will go to your heart,” he said. “You need to root yourself deeper than the comment section because it will give you both praise and criticism.”
Venteicher’s advice to farmers and ranchers starting their social media journey is to know their value and prioritize their time. Social media can be a powerful tool for your operation, but it’s important to approach it with caution and balance.