CSUSB Farmers as Social Media Influencers Case Study Questions

Instructions: Read the following Case Study and answer the following questions:

• How are modern farmers utilizing social computing, such as YouTube, to diversify their income and expand their audience?
• Analyze the role of platforms like YouTube in helping farmers transform their traditional farming practices into a digital business model. What tools or systems within MIS might be relevant for a farmer who wants to track, analyze, and improve their online performance? Include examples from the case study.
• Discuss the ethical and operational challenges faced by farmers who venture into social computing, such as the “Adpocalypse” or compliance with community guidelines. How could an MIS professional help navigate these challenges? Use specific instances from the case study to support your argument.
• Explore the significance of content strategy as demonstrated by farmers like Morgan Gold, who learned what works with his audience and what does not. How can MIS and data analytics aid in optimizing content for different audience segments? Provide examples from the case and relate them to MIS concepts like business intelligence and customer relationship management (CRM).

Your submission must be between 750-1500 words in length in APA format, including a title page, and please use at least two academic resources.

Farmers Develop Another Source of Income

Although modern farmers have benefitted from many technological developments, the weather still dictates much of the success or failure of a farm’s crops. The cost of farming inputs, which include seeds, fertilizer, labor, equipment, and professional veterinary services, is rising, and many farmers must manage debt on their farms. Many farmers have also been hurt by U.S. trade differences with China.

In contrast, YouTube paints a somewhat rosier picture. There, farming can seem more like an aspirational lifestyle choice than a precarious livelihood. YouTube is home to influencers from a myriad of professional and cultural persuasions, and farming is no exception.

In fact, agricultural content on YouTube is increasing. Content creators uploaded 60 percent more farming-related videos to YouTube in 2020 than they did in 2019. Further, views of farming content increased by 70 percent in 2020 over 2019.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas. Many of these individuals claim they want to live in a rural area. Meeting this desire, new farming content creators are specifically documenting what it is like to farm after, or while, living in a city or working in a corporate job. Farming content can serve as a how-to guide to an alternate way of living. Farming YouTube content offers the chance to experience a way of life that is often idealized but is practically inaccessible to most people.

Some of the most popular farming videos involve livestock. However, the enduring appeal of animals can make some situations complex for farmers to navigate. As we have noted, farmers want to show the reality of what farming is actually about. This process often means teaching people where their food comes from, including butchering animals. YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit videos containing violent or graphic content. However, farmers do show aspects of their work that are messy and potentially uncomfortable.

Let’s look at several examples of farmers who have developed large social media followings and are earning notable income.

One South Dakota farmer, Cole Sonne, and his father made a 12-minute video for YouTube demonstrating to their fans how they moved large grass and alfalfa bales from one area of their farm to another. The video was viewed more than 100,000 times between July and November 2019. Sonne then started a YouTube channel dedicated to the farm, which has amassed more than 30,000 followers. He earns roughly $650 per month from YouTube advertisements.

Morgan Gold, who started Gold Shaw Farm (www.goldshawfarm.com) in Vermont with his wife, Allison Ebrahimi-Gold, in 2016, began his YouTube channel about the same time. By 2020 he had more than 20,000 followers and was generating between $2,500 and $4,000 per month. He has not reached the point where YouTube income will support him and his family. In fact, he still has his full-time job as a marketing executive for an insurance company.

After trying to take a month off in early 2020, Gold quickly learned that any gap in his YouTube publication schedule resulted in a steep decline in his audience. He also learned, through trial and error, what works with his audience and what does not. For instance, mounting a GoPro camera on his sheepdog did not work. In contrast, slow drone footage of the sun rising or setting over his 150 acres definitely works.

Few videos captivate audiences, though, as much as real-life setbacks. Gold realized this fact when a mink broke into his duck hutch and killed all of his ducks. His next videos featured night-vision footage of the mink among his ducks, increasing his audience to almost 100,000 viewers.

Gold’s YouTube channel has been successful enough to help shape his business strategy on his farm. He is rethinking his farm products because he became aware that he has a broad, diverse audience who do not live close by. He is considering new products, such as charcuterie, that could be easily shipped to fans in other states. Charcuterie is the preparation of cured meats such as pork, ham, bacon, and sausage.

MN Millennial Farmer (www.mnmillennialfarmer.com), Zach Johnson, is from Minnesota. He grows corn and soybeans on the family farm, which was founded by his great-great-grandfather in 1876. Johnson’s biggest paycheck comes from his YouTube channel, which has 400,000 followers and earns him about 5 times more money than his crops do.

In April 2016, Johnson launched his first few videos on YouTube, capturing the ups and downs of farming as well as issues he experienced while planting corn. It was not until the fall of 2017 that he realized that people cared about what he had to say.

Once the videos began attracting viewers, Johnson signed up his YouTube channel for a Google Adsense account, which matches ads to a user’s site based on their content and visitors. Shortly after, he saw that a single video earned him $92, and he became even more enthusiastic. His “Gearing up for Harvest!” video was his first to hit 100,000 views on YouTube (in 3–4 days), and his “Tractor Stuck in the MUD” video collected more than 1.6 million views in just a few months. By August 2020, Johnson’s YouTube channel had received more than 70 million views. He had 572,000 subscribers to his channel and had uploaded 319 videos.

The MN Millennial Farmer brand now includes YouTube videos, public speaking engagements, farm tours, merchandise, and the “Off the Husk” podcast, which is backed by Farmers Business Network, his biggest sponsor. The majority of his brand income comes from two main sources on YouTube: ads and sponsors. Advertisements are a part of Google Adsense, and they can appear before, after, or in the middle of a video. Sponsorships or brand deals include paid product endorsements that appear within a video’s content.

Fortunately for Johnson, his videos can last 15 to 20 minutes or longer. Brands find more value in long-form content because this type of content is more likely to engage audiences. Analysts estimate that Johnson earns between $2,500 and $5,000 per month from YouTube ads alone.

The sponsors that support Johnson’s content also earn him additional revenue. In addition to Farmers Business Network, his sponsors include or have included John Deere, WD-40, J&M Manufacturing, Walls Clothing, Dakota Micro, and others. Analysts estimate that sponsors could earn Johnson between $5,000 and $15,000 per branded post.

Johnson’s online merchandise store sells branded T-shirts, caps, and hooded sweatshirts. Analysts estimate that the brand could sell between 1,000 and 2,000 units per month, earning between $3,000 and $6,000.

Unlike many influencers, Zach and his wife have not employed a marketing agency to help grow their brand. Instead, most advertisers come to them directly. The couple then decides which opportunities to take based on time availability and quality control.

Advertising revenue from YouTube can be problematic. One farmer claimed that he was hurt by policy changes the platform made in 2017 that resulted in many channels being blocked form earning ad revenue. The Adpocalypse, as it came to be known, occurred after a series of media reports revealed that prominent advertisers were showing up next to videos containing hate speech and extremist content. YouTube’s policy changes impacted many content creators on the platform.

The farmer stated that his income was cut in half after the changes. He still uploads content to YouTube, but he now operates an independent membership website where people pay a subscription to view his videos. He is also unhappy that the most successful farming videos have outrageous titles and thumbnail images but often do not provide any practical information about growing food to viewers.

Amy Fewell, the founder of Homesteaders of America, stated that the number of farmers who earn substantial income from YouTube is steadily increasing. By August 2020 they numbered about 50.