With its fields of white fluffy lint, cotton is renowned for being one of the most picturesque agricultural industries, which is why Cotton Australia has launched a new Instagram account to help showcase the industry to a broad online community.
With Instagram now one of the most popular social media platforms around the world, many farmers are turning to the image-based application to share their farm life with a digital audience.
"Instagram is such a powerful platform to share your visual story, and increasingly is becoming an effective way for people and organisations to share information with a wide section of the community," Cotton Australia general manager Michael Murray said.
The cotton industry has long been a focus of debate on social media, but it is hoped the new Instagram account - @auscotton - will showcase the industry and break down misconceptions.
"Our industry acknowledges we need to be better at sharing our story and informing the public about what we do and why we do it. If we can do that through the use of images and videos on Instagram, then that's an exciting opportunity we're keen to explore," he said.
We're really keen to attract as broad an audience as possible...
- Michael Murray
Cotton Australia will use the Instagram page to celebrate the industry, its people, plants and products, and will share images to inform around farming practices and seasonal operations.
"We're really keen to attract as broad an audience as possible to our Instagram page, and really use it as a 'town square' for people to come together to celebrate, converse, learn and explore the Australian cotton industry," Mr Murray said.
"We're also excited to use the platform to showcase our partnerships with the supply chain, brands and retailers, and inform consumers around the new and existing Australian cotton products on the market and highlight that dirt-to-shirt process."
