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Thanks to the social web, we now have solutions for everyday components available to us online. While those in agriculture are often seen by our city counterparts as uncivilized and unconnected, the truth is proving to be far from that.

AG Chat, or #agchat as it’s more commonly known, brings in a new era that provides AG working folk with a mechanism to communicate with each other in a more round-table discussion. The chat session is conducted via Twitter, the revolutionary social networking communication service. To participate in the conversation, all you need to do is write your question, thought, or greeting and mark as a Twitter status update, followed by the hashtag #agchat.

The organized conversation takes place every Tuesday from 8pm-10pm EDT. To keep track of the chat, we recommend using TweetChat, which will provide live status updates from all participants using the hashtag. For those unfamiliar with TweetChat, it is a great way to participate in a real time Twitter chat, and also adds the #hashtag group you are chatting about automatically into your Tweets.

The format for #agchat started with some networking/introduction time, followed by moderated questions, an executable idea, and then closes with some time to ask your own questions.

Our last #agchat featured @Tykerman1, aka Steve Tucker, who was on CNN as a rural farmer that is a frequent Twitter user. It shows the growth of the agricultural and rural community towards a tech era, utilizing the Internet to engage friends and fellow industry colleagues. Also discussed was ARRA rural broadband development funding and US agricultural policy under the new administration.

What will #agchat mean for the industry? Now that we can communicate in an open, yet specific discussion, we can more easily share information and ideas to make the industry a stronger, more prepared, and more connected one. By adapting to the times and technology, agricultural business can strengthen its place as a player in the economy and nation as a whole.

You can follow #agchat and its moderators/advisory board at @agchat @mpaynknoper @agchick @agriblogger @akleinschmidt @cowartandmore @raylindairy @shaunhaney.

We look forward to seeing you at the next #agchat! (and you can follow us as well @machinefinder)

Related Links:

• #agchat Session on Twitter via Agwired
• Michele Payn-Knoper Official Site
• Real-Time Twitter Search for “agchat”