Here is a positive story about a dairy producer in California who is standing up and speaking out to tell the real story of production agriculture. Her name is Barbara Jackson, and her story was recently printed in the Modesto Beef in an article titled, “Ag Tries Twitter,” a feature by Robert Rodriguez that describes how farms are feeding info to the public and their peers via social media outlets. (Photo courtesy Modesto Bee) Here is Barbara’s story…

With a hand-held video camera, a computer and 800 cows, Barbara Martin of Lemoore is letting the world into her life as a dairy operator. No, it’s not a new reality television show. And Martin isn’t craving her 15 minutes of fame. But she is joining a growing number of farmers and others in agriculture who are using social media tools to communicate with each other, send out information and educate the public about agriculture.

Dairy operators have become especially skilled at launching Facebook pages, blog posting and using Twitter, a microblogging site. Martin uses all three to tell the public about the family’s 800-cow dairy. She launched “A Dairy Goddess’s Blog” in late August.

For Martin, using social media and blogging is a way to dispel some myths about farmers and encourage a greater understanding of the slumping dairy industry. She’s blogged about everything from fixing the pricing structure for milk to sharing her childhood memories about growing up on a farm. Her most recent post is a video diary about her heifer Chica.