Get Your Tractor Tweet On

Apr 21, 2014

Farmers Encouraged to Tweet #FromtheField

It’s that time of year again – planting season!

As farmers begin working in the fields, there is an opportunity to show the world just how savvy farmers have become. Equipped with a smartphone device in hand, farmers have the ability to share what they do on a daily basis, including what happens out in the fields.

Last spring, Farms.com asked growers to put on their reporter hats and tweet using the #fromthefield hashtag. And farmers did just that. Stories, pictures and videos were shared about day to day life happenings in the fields.

Now that spring is here, we are asking farmers to tweet up a storm for the 2014 planting season – tweet from your tractor (keeping safety in mind). Share the stories that you want to tell, connect with other growers and consumers too!

In the coming weeks and months, Farms.com will be profiling various growers about their #fromthefield twitter experience and showcasing information about their farming operations.

Happy tweeting!

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.