The end of the year is always a good time to look back to see what you accomplished and any changes you want to make looking ahead.
The department’s social media accounts – Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) – are key communication tools and that was really obvious when we reviewed the accounts and top posts in 2024. We are happy about that because it helps get out messaging and information about N.C. agriculture and the department.
When looking back over our Top 10 posts, an immediate pattern emerged — many of our top posts for 2024 involved the largest news event of the year – Hurricane Helene. That is not unexpected as disasters fuel the need for lots of information that is shared many times over. Social media can be a means of quickly sharing important information.
The top 10 posts include a mix of Hurricane Helene disaster relief information, plus some fun posts about North Carolinians involved in agriculture.
We also noted that when comparing the department’s 2023 Top 10 social media posts with 2024, the numbers clearly show that some posts caught fire and spread well beyond the nearly 50,000 Facebook followers we have. In fact, this year’s top post was viewed by EIGHT times as many people!
In 2023, the top social media post for the year reached 55,698 people. It was a ‘National Farmers Day Thank You’ post. This year, our No. 10 post, which was a feature on Matt Darden, who was a part of our #NextGenAg series, reached 55,756, beating out the top post in 2023. This year’s top post reached 409,938. Hopefully, some of you reading this blog saw it, too!
We hope to continue to grow our social media numbers, so if you do not currently follow us, now is a great time to do so as we plan to launch a new weekly social media series in 2025 called Discovering NC Agriculture. This series will focus on a single commodity, but will highlight people growing it, preparing it and adding value to them. The series will tell the stories of farmers, chefs, agritourism farms, Got to Be NC members and the good foods grown in North Carolina. We are excited for it to begin. We are starting the year off with peanuts, followed by peppers in February, and then will feature strawberries in March.
So, as we wrap up 2024, here is a look back at the Top 10 social media posts for NCDA&CS. If you follow us, thank you for sharing our posts and thank you for being part of our social media community.
NCAgriculture Top 10
1. The State You’re In Sexiest Collard Farmers Contest – Reached 409,938 people
2. Nelson Tractor Company Shoutout for their help with farm equipment in WNC following Hurricane Helene — Reached 309,169 people
3. House of Raeford Farms Poultry donation to Western NC after Hurricane Helene — Reached 299,907 people
4. 2024 Hurricane relief donation sites schedule — Reached 280,496 people
5. Where the Food Comes From: NC Potatoes to Potato Chips — Reached 134,121 people
6. Ripe Revival Meal Kit donation to Western NC after Hurricane Helene — Reached 123,938 people
7. N.C. State Fair Farm Family of the Day: Flavor Full Farms — Reached 85,844 people
8. Haywood County Livestock Center becomes donation hub for WNC — Reached 81,135 people
9. Buy local Christmas trees — Reached 74,482 people
10. NextGenAg feature: Matt Darden — Reached 55,756 people