I have been active on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/farmer.tonis/) for some time now, but since the character limit for posts is restricted there, and I enjoy writing, I decided that alongside Instagram, I should also have a website to blog and elaborate on my thoughts.
Why am I doing this?
- To provide insight into a family farm engaged in cereal cultivation.
- To share my thoughts.
- To receive feedback.
- To learn.
I have been professionally involved in cereal cultivation since 2011 when I took over the business from my father. He treated it more as a hobby, but seeing potential in this entrepreneurial form, I decided to start developing the farm myself. In early 2011, the company had about 100 hectares of land, and now it’s around 280 hectares. I have always believed in the family farm model, wanting to be involved in all processes as much as possible. Due to the significant competition in my operating area, I have chosen to stick with a land size that I can manage essentially on my own.
Why did I decide to start sharing my activities?
- I started following YouTubers engaged in agriculture, and after a couple of years of watching them, I felt that I could try something similar.
- I am the first farmer in Estonia to share my activities in such detail and on a daily basis. I hope to inspire other farmers to share their activities.
- I want to be an independent advisor/mentor in the future.
- There are few farmers in Estonia, and continuous coverage of their activities in the media is not a top priority. I believe I can fill this gap because, based on the feedback from followers, there is still interest.
I started on Instagram in the fall of 2022 and have gained over 9000 followers to date.
Initially, I focused on creating funny short videos and sharing clips of my daily work. The activity was irregular, and my follower count remained almost unchanged for almost a year. After an article about my activities was published in Postimees Maa-Elu (https://maaelu.postimees.ee/7883466/eesti-esimene-pollumehest-suunamudija-traktorikabiinis-sundinud-postitused-naerutavad-ja-harivad), I gained new motivation to take my role as an influencer more seriously. Currently, I try to post something new almost every day, and since there’s not much to do for a cereal farmer in winter, it’s a nice hobby/job to engage in on dark winter evenings.
I can’t deny that I didn’t initially view being an influencer with great enthusiasm, but having dabbled in this profession myself – hats off, it’s not easy 😄 What happens next? I don’t know, I take it one day at a time, and I still have my “real” job as a farmer, which must not suffer due to content production. Balancing agriculture and content creation will be challenging, but if others can do it, then it must be possible 😆
