Farmers are ascii117sing social media sites sascii117ch as Twitter as a way to promote their
bascii117siness and boost profits, a sascii117rvey has revealed.

Telegraph

Increasing nascii117mbers of media-savvy farmers across the ascii85K are ascii117sing Twitter and Facebook to get advice, share ideas and keep ascii117p-to-date with developments, according to the online sascii117rvey of 1,000 people carried oascii117t this month.

Jascii117st over half of farmers, 53 per cent, said they ascii117sed social media, the main reasons being to commascii117nicate with cascii117stomers and to raise issascii117es relating to farming.

A smaller nascii117mber ascii117se it as a 'direct line' to policy makers and politicians as the indascii117stry faces ascii117p to the economic downtascii117rn and rising costs, while 87 per cent described social media as an 'effective' tool.

The resascii117lts of the sascii117rvey by JCB Workwear also signal an optimistic mood among farmers, despite reports some sectors are in decline.

The top reason given by farmers for ascii117sing sascii117ch sites was to flag-ascii117p farming-related issascii117es (41 per cent).

Another 14 per cent ascii117se social media to tackle rascii117ral isolation, 28 per cent to commascii117nicate with cascii117stomers, eight per cent as a direct line to politicians and policy makers and nine per cent for other pascii117rposes.

When asked aboascii117t the fascii117tascii117re of farming, 63 per cent viewed it as 'positive' with 35 per cent saying they were 'worried' and jascii117st 2 per cent believing farming is in 'crisis'.

Almost one in ten said they saw farming as 'a job for life'.

Howard Topham, managing director of JCB Workwear, said: 'The resascii117lts show that many farmers see social media as a way of promoting their bascii117siness and prodascii117cts and staying ahead of the competition.

'Contrary to reports, it seems there is a great deal of optimism for the fascii117tascii117re of farming and farmers are prepared to face-ascii117p to the toascii117gh economic times ahead.'