Feedlot Technology Adoption Group - Social Media

Summary

There is a need for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Australian Lot Feeders Association (ALFA) to engage more with small to medium sized feedlot operations and feedlot staff in the 18-35 year old demographic to improve information flow and increase adoption of technologies across the sector. This project aims to follow on from the 2014/15 project "B.FLT.0456 – Pilot feedlot extension model", and 2015/16 project "B.FLT.0497 - Feedlot Technology Adoption Group Extension Model 2016-17". At the completion of B.FLT.0497, ALFA supported the extension of social media (Facebook page and You-tube channel) for a 1 year period.

The objective of this project was the updating and moderating of the Feedlot Technology Adoption Group (FTAG) Facebook page and YouTube channel. The two Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for the project were the increase in Facebook followers and YouTube views by 20 %. There was a 11 % increase in Facebook followers and a 60 % increase in YouTube views.

Consistent with previous years, videos were the most popular type of post even though no new content was produced. FTAG followers are generally most active in the evenings and, as such, the most successful time for new posts was in the afternoon and evening. As the combination of these two social media platforms provides the biggest reach for FTAG information, it is crucial that further videos are produced for feedlots management and technology. Where video series on animal welfare issues are produced, they should be presented appropriately to be suitable for publication on social media platforms.