There is something quite funny about finishing a full day's work on the farm, only to spend your evening watching somebody else farming on your phone. 听
Yet that seems to be where we are heading. Between YouTube, online livestock sales and social media, farming is becoming just as much a part of our screen time as it is our working day.听
The difference is, it is not television. It is YouTube, online livestock sales and a constant stream of farming content on our phones.听
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Farming has traditionally been something you had to be there to experience. Whether that was standing in a crowded mart or catching up with friends at a show, so much of the industry has traditionally revolved around being there in person. Now, you can be sorting store lambs from your sofa. There has been such an increase in people documenting their 'everyday farming' and it what perhaps was set out to teach Joe Blogs about farming, its also watched by farmers too.
We have recently started RingSale Stories and For Flock's Sake, both YouTube series, and it has been interesting to see how digital platforms are becoming part of the farming world. 听
People are watching farming when they are not farming. And I am just the same.听
After a full day working with livestock, you might think the last thing somebody would want to do is watch more of it. Yet here we are, scrolling through videos of sheep, cattle and sales long after the day's jobs are finished. For some, it is entertainment; for others, it is learning, keeping in touch or simply an interest they cannot switch off.听
Online sales have changed things, too. You no longer necessarily need to travel miles to see keep in with trade. Your phone can bring the sale ring to you, opening up opportunities for buyers and sellers alike.听
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Of course, there is still nothing quite like being ringside. You cannot replace the atmosphere of a busy mart, the conversations or the feeling of seeing a good animal in the flesh. A screen cannot tell you everything.听
But perhaps that is not the point. Digital farming does not have to replace traditional farming. It can complement it.听
The farming industry has always been good at adapting when it needs to. We have moved with new ways of doing business. There is no reason our use of technology should stop at the farm gate.听
I might not watch much television, but give me a good livestock sale or an interesting farming video and I will happily watch. And I suspect I am far from alone.听
Perhaps the future of farming is not just out in the fields, in the sheds or in the sale ring. Perhaps it is in the palm of our hands, too.听
