Digital platforms and agricultural influencers have completely changed how farming knowledge is shared. Traditionally, most farming education was passed down through generations or learned in formal settings such as universities and agricultural extension services.
These methods, while valuable, were often slow to evolve and difficult to access for many farmers, especially those in rural areas. However, the rise of digital platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and podcasts has broken down these barriers, allowing farming knowledge to be shared much more quickly and in a more engaging way.
This new way reaches a much larger audience and breaks down the barriers that used to limit access to important information.
This change is part of a bigger trend happening across industries, where expert-level knowledge is now available to anyone with an internet connection. In agriculture, this means that even farmers in remote areas can now learn from top experts and stay up to date with the latest techniques and technologies.
No longer limited by geography or expensive resources, this democratization of knowledge is empowering farmers of all ages and backgrounds to improve their practices, adopt new technologies, and modernize their operations in ways that were previously out of reach.
For many agricultural influencers, the goal isn’t just to become a source of information, but rather to create a space for shared learning. As Tanner Winterhof, co-host of the Farm4Profit podcast, describes it, the role of an influencer often develops naturally, driven by the desire to learn and share that knowledge with others.
“As an ‘agricultural influencer,’ it’s not a role I set out to achieve. I prefer the term content creator because it’s the content that drives influence. I’m not an expert in one particular area; instead, I build relationships and gather knowledge from various fields. My motivation was to learn more about agriculture and the people behind it, and through that, my audience grew as others found it interesting too.”