How social media impacts local cattle farms
The Mashie family has been homesteading for more than 40 years. With the growing popularity of homesteading, fueled by platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok, the farm’s audience consists primarily of millennial and baby boomer women interested in sustainable, locally sourced food.
Having a social media presence is essential for customer engagement, sales and education, especially for small, family-run operations like Mashie Farm. Emily Jost, farm manager of Mashie Farm in Goshen, Arkansas, has promoted her family’s second-generation farm on social media since 2019 along with her other responsibilities of managing cattle, hogs and harvesting hay.
Mashie Farm is a female-owned, small family farm that practices regenerative agriculture with grass-fed and finished beef and lamb products along with grain-fed hogs in a stress-free environment.
Social media plays a key role in keeping the farm visible and driving sales, Jost said. “Having a presence on social media definitely keeps us relevant and reminds folks that we are here,” said Jost. “When I post regularly and we have a presence in people’s algorithms, I see sales increase.”
Mashie Farm’s social media content blends education and storytelling, featuring photos of the family at work, steers in the field, satisfied customers and farm-to-plate meals. When Jost created the farm’s Instagram page (@mashiefarm) in 2019, her goal was to connect with people who may not know where their food comes from or have much knowledge of farming. Jost’s hope was to “speak to folks who don’t know much about where good food comes from or don’t have much knowledge about farming.”
The Mashie family thoroughly enjoys living in the Goshen area, and the family members feel good about their agricultural lifestyle.
“We love that we can feel good about our farm because it is positively contributing to the environment and our animals are healthy and happy living on the land,” said Jost.
