Five farming pages to follow on facebook

Facebook feed got you down? Social media can sometimes feel like an endless rabbit hole of bad news, other people’s boring children, and embarrassing acquaintances flat earth theories. The way I keep my timeline tidy and full of up to date content I actually want to read is by unfollowing the cringe inducing posts and filling my feed with agricultural pages like these:

The Old Farmers Almanac — “The oldest almanac and #1 best-selling annual book. Weather, Moon, Gardening, Advice, Wit, & Wisdom.” Remember the old yellow book kept under the latest Reader’s Digest in your grandparents’ bathroom? These folks post recipes, tips on attracting pollinators, and even fun articles about folklore. The most political post I’ve seen on the page is the YouTube video of the chicken playing America the Beautiful on the keyboard.

Women Who Farm — “From urban backyards, to rural farmland, women are driving the local food movement. We seek to celebrate those who are leading the change!” This page showcases successful women farmers from all over creation daily. Their pictures and stories are rooted in relatability and are a welcome addition to any newsfeed. From food sovereignty to raising farm kids the topics they cover leave you feeling inspired and informed instead of hopeless and frustrated. I loved the piece I’m Not Getting Rich, But I Have a Great Life. Growing Under The Midnight Sun. While author Jen Becker is a farmer in North Pole, Alaska, she tells a story that is universal, she loves what she does. If you want to fill your feed with positivity and empowerment I can’t recommend Women Who Farm enough.

Nifty Homestead — “Inspiration to turn your world green.” If you want tips on chopping your own firewood or finding ethically raised meat to buy this page is for you. You will get tips to help manage your homestead, or if you don’t have that kind of full on country living commitment it will help you live and think more sustainability. One warning though about the Natural Insect Repellent piece, try as you might ain’t no essential oil going to help you during peak black fly season. Those buggers will simply find you more delicious AND well-seasoned.

Tom Cox — “I decided that I would write a regular stream of free content for this website and try to make it a nice place to visit, especially for people who like animals, the countryside, books and music.” I love this quote from writer Tom Cox about his writing. Although this is less of an agricultural themed page than the others on this list, Cox does the perfect job describing pastoral life from a farmer adjacent point of view. He regularly makes me laugh with pieces like, My dad and the toad that lives in his shoe and Amazon drone complaints department. He also is a great source for cat content. Cat photos, cat stories, and cat art fill his timeline and if you follow him you will not be disappointed in the adorableness and sassiness his cats will provide you.

Modern Farmer — “We’re a magazine and website for anyone who cares about where their food comes from.” I love the content Modern Farmer puts out because I constantly learn new things, like how plants know way more than we think or how scientists are going to make tomatoes great again. Follow this page if you are interested in food, agriculture, and sustainability. Even if you aren’t interested in getting your hands dirty in the field you will get a lot out of it. My favorite post recently was for a recipe for fire cider. Let me tell you that baby was good and spicy. Your sinuses will be clear until next Tuesday. They do talk about policy in regards to agriculture but they tend to talk about things that you haven’t seen a thousand times already and are pretty important for any American eater. Here’s a quote from their January Ag Policy Round-Up: 5 Stories You May Have Missed

“Politically speaking, this has been one of the more tumultuous months in recent US history, so we forgive you if the nitty-gritty details of food and agriculture policy have not been top of mind. But outside the orbit of Donald Trump’s White House, and the media hysteria surrounding it, life marches on. There were a number of significant developments in the food world that were certainly not making headlines, but are worthy of your attention nonetheless.”

Lastly, don’t forget to follow my page, Pen & Potato. Here you will get my weekly blog posts, interesting articles from the resources I already mentioned (plus many more), and photos from my personal adventures in agriculture. All these pages can really perk up a dismal newsfeed and offer you a little bit of solace while you scroll. Just don’t forget to step away from the screen and enjoy life offline too!

Jasmine Haines

About Jasmine Haines

Jasmine J. Haines is an Aroostook county native and the 6th generation raised on her family’s farm in Fort Fairfield. Self-proclaimed "Maine's biggest fan". This is her agricultural adventure.