Bring your pasture to your Twitter feed with the new online discussion forum, #HayTalk Chat. Starting Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 8 p.m. EST, forage producers and consumers can meet online for an hour of hay, forage and grazing discussions on the micro-blogging site Twitter using the hashtag, #HayTalk.

Brought to you by AgBoards Network (@agboards), creators of Haytalk.com and RanchingForums.com, along with social media advocates Jesse Bussard (@cowgirljesse) and Ryan Goodman (@AR_ranchhand), #HayTalk Chat will be an opportunity for producers from around the country to learn and grow from each other every Wednesday night.

“Through these #HayTalk discussions we hope that farmers and ranchers will come away with a better understanding of current forage-related issues and use this knowledge to improve their current management practices,” explains Bussard, a University of Kentucky graduate student in plant and soil sciences.

Goodman, ranch foreman at Stephens Farm in Arkansas, agrees. “Twitter allows producers to swap information and ideas with the click of a button and receive instant feedback. By including a hashtag like #haytalk, I can direct my question to other producers and receive instant feedback from anyone listening in to their Twitter feed,” he says.

However, while #HayTalk will be a valuable tool for producers on Twitter, it also offers a chance to connect with consumers. Twitter makes it easy to post photos and videos from the pasture and then share the story and information with consumers following the #HayTalk hashtag. “Consumers are hungry to learn more about their food sources and they find it pretty cool to learn about agriculture straight from the pasture,” Goodman says.

Available exclusively on Twitter, the chat will be similar to other agriculture Twitter chats like #agchat (every Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST) and #horsechat (every Monday at 9 p.m. EST). Each week will bring new discussions or guests to the community at large. Discussion points will include grazing techniques, storage, equipment, feed quality, noxious weeds, forage types, regional challenges, upcoming workshops and livestock questions. Chat sessions will be moderated to ensure participants stay on track and contributors will also have a chance to discuss their operations and services.

If you are a Twitter user looking for hay and forage tips, start following the #HayTalk hashtag today and remember to mark your calendars for the first #HayTalk on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m.