Tom Tibbets (Minneapolis, Kansas)
When Tom Tibbits gets his corn in – or is battling the weather to manage his crops – chances are he’ll tweet about it.
Tom farms with his dad John and granddad Riley near Minneapolis, Kansas and enjoys having conversations on Twitter (his handle is @ksfarmboy), but also takes the time to write a blog that includes a number of photos in addition to an explanation.
“Pictures give people a chance to see what’s happening instead of me just explaining it in words,” he said. “It really helps tell the story.”
Tom, who has three young kids with his wife Sandy, said he spent some time working away from the family farm in between stints at college. “I lived in a suburb for a while and got to see urban sprawl first hand,” he said. “After coming back to the farm, I saw a report about the great interest some people living in the city had about how wheat is grown. That got me thinking that I should try and share my own story of farming with anyone who would care to read about it.”
That’s how Tom’s blog got started – but after getting a new smart phone, he decided to give Twitter a try. “I thought Twitter was a neat tool and have enjoyed it,” he said. “It gives me a chance to be involved in a lot of conversations and help people to better understand what we do and why.”
He encouraged those who are interested or have questions about farming to go online and to talk to farmers. “There are a growing number of farmers out there who would appreciate being asked a question about what they do,” he said. “They are on Twitter, Facebook and blogging, it’s just a matter of looking.”
The Tibbits’ farm produces corn, wheat, sorghum, soybeans and sunflowers – all of which are tweeted about and included in Tom’s blog.
In the photo: Tom, Riley and John Tibbits of Minneapolis, Kansas