#Farm24, agriculture's biggest online event, took social media by storm last week, trending on Twitter and publishing a record amount of content to raise awareness of British farming.
#Farm24, agriculture's biggest online event, took social media by storm last week, trending on Twitter and publishing a record amount of content to raise awareness of British farming.
Thanks to the efforts of farmers and industry organisations, #Farm24 trended in the top 10 throughout the duration of the 24 hours and captured the attention of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, celebrity chefs, MPs and sports stars.
Social media was flooded with valuable insights into what a typical working day in farming looked like and the raft of skills and dedication required into producing the food we eat.
Sponsored by Morrisons, the event kicked off at 5am on August 5 and continued through to 5am on August 6 under the hashtag #Farm24.
As well as trending on Twitter, there was unprecedented activity on Instagram and TikTok, which brought new audiences to the campaign.
Thousands of pictures, videos and posts highlighted the versatility, resilience and community spirit of the agricultural community as it showcased to the public the journey from field to fork.
Whats it all about?
As UK agriculture increasingly competes in a global marketplace, the importance of telling our compelling story via initiatives such as 24 Hours in Farming cannot be overstated."
Ben Briggs
Farmers Guardian editor
We take a look at 24 highlights of #Farm24
- 1 We were delighted that #Farm24 trended on Twitter throughout the day, reaching number one in the UK at 10am
- 2 Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined in the event late morning, thanking farming and pledging his support in a post on Twitter and Facebook
- 3 As our sponsor, Morrisons played an active role, sharing new producer videos across social channels and radio messaging in stores
- 4 Man of the moment Kaleb Cooper from Clarkson's Farm delighted everyone at FG HQ by tweeting about tractors (of course)
- 5 The Dairy Daughter showcased a clever reel which shows a day in the life of British dairy farmers, with contributions from other farmers around the country
- 6 More quality, farming content than ever before from industry organisations and grassroot farmers
- 7 Ben from Cows Gundogs used the occasion to announce, after years of trying, he has won a tender to milk 500 of his own cows in Somerset on a 10-year contract farming agreement
- 8 Farming favourite Tom Pemberton filmed 24 reasons he has ‘the best job in the world'
- 9 The Woodland Trust showcased the benefits of practising agroforestry
- 10 Ladies in Pigs cooked up tasty dishes from their branded van, and gave us our catchphrase of the day: ‘everything tastes better in bacon'
- 11 Farming charity The DPJ Foundation educated youngsters on farm throughout the day, including an introduction to newly born piglets
- 12 Farming duo The Red Shepherdess and Danny the Farrier were brilliant as hosts of the evening's farming quiz; if you want cheering up, you can catch it in her IGTV @redshepherdess
- 13 British YouTube cooking channel and food website SORTEDFood took #Farm24 to their global audience and staged a Beat the Chef: Mystery Challenge and other videos they had filmed in partnership with BASF Agro
- 14 Record amount of content with social media influencers
- 15 Farming ambassador Abi Reader took it back to basics and offered the public a unique insight into dairy farming and what makes good milk and happy cows
- 16 Charity Jamie's Farm, which to date has helped more than 8,000 vulnerable and troubled youngsters through its residential stays, filmed what a typical day looks like for a young person who visits the farm
- 17 Explosive growth on Instagram, YouTube and Linkedin
- 18 F G's deputy news editor Olivia Midgley appeared on various radio stations to promote #Farm24 and went live on Big City Radio Birmingham, SFM, Radio Scarborough, WCR FM and Churnet Sound
- 19 Increased collaborations with industry organisations
- 20 Social media influencer and sheep farmer Amanda Owen, aka the Yorkshire Shepherdess, shared her support alongside her children and the beautiful backdrops of Ravenseat
- 21 NFU president Minette Batters welcomed FG to her beef farm as she was put under the spotlight to answer our 24 questions
- 22 FG's Hannah Binns caught up with Northumberland farmer Emma Gray about her life in agriculture
- 23 The Chief Shepherdess staged live streams and invited farmers to join her to talk all things ag
- 24 Milly Fyfe, food and farming ambassador, welcomed BBC Northampton Breakfast Show reporter Tom Percival on-farm to document the realities of day-to-day farming life for the whole 24 hours
Celebrity backing
Chef Tom Kerridge threw his support behind British farmers at 2pm with a social shout out.
Radio DJ Sara Cox gave a nod to her farming roots as she shared her sentiment later in the day.Radio DJ Sara Cox gave a nod to her farming roots as she shared her sentiment later in the day.
International rugby player and beef farmer Dan Lydiate took the #Farm24 pledge of support with his pedigree Welsh Blacks.International rugby player and beef farmer Dan Lydiate took the #Farm24 pledge of support with his pedigree Welsh Blacks.
FarmingCAN
Our FarmingCAN campaign, which we launched earlier this year, aims to educate consumers about farming all-year-round.
This year, as part of #Farm24, we aimed to connect farmers and consumers to show where their food comes from and educating them about what British farmers produce through our FarmingCAN social media channels.
With interest in food provenance and trust in British farmers, local produce, sustainability and the countryside, there has never been more of a prominent time to continue engaging with the public.
