Jeff Chandler, manager of the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station, uses this felfie as his Twitter profile picture. Follow Jeff on Twitter at @JeffChandler4.
A new word recently jumped into our vocabulary, felfie. A felfie is a self-portrait taken on a farm. There were several articles on this new phenomenon (see links at the bottom of this post). But I think The Guardian summed it up best: “The felfie provides what many urban people are searching for: a view of where their food starts.”
I’d like to take that sentiment a step further. Not only does a farming selfie help connect others to where their food comes from, it also helps support the message that farmers are stewards of their environment. Felfies can share the story of production agriculture, that farmers’ animals are important to them, even part of the family. It’s a chance to show the people that you meet face-to-face at the farmers market a view of the fields where their produce comes from.
So step out of your comfort zone, flip on that front-facing camera and take a photo of yourself and share it via your social media channels. Whether or not you use the hashtag #felfie, you are sharing the story of how our food is grown. And that is one of the biggest challenges we have today. The more the public is aware of the pressures on farmers, the better their understanding of agriculture will be. That’s why we love this parody video by the Peterson Farm Brothers in Kansas called “Chore.” Farming is demanding work, but farmers are dedicated professionals who take care of their land and their animals. So be sure to share it with the world.
Read more about the felfie:
Guardian: Felfies help people understand where their food comes from
Modern Farmer: Express Your #Felf: Farmer Selfies Go Viral
Mashable: Move Over, Selfies; #Felfies Are the Hottest Trend on the Farm