AgNerds from across North American came together in Kansas City, MO to attend the 2012 Agvocacy 2.0 Training. “Beyond the Choir” was a common theme throughout the week as we tweaked how to use social media in telling our story of agriculture to those not quite as familiar with it. Some came as social media gurus and others with a lot to learn. Some came from a life-time of farming and others a simple passion for agriculture.

Briåna Belko grew up a city girl in California, but her roots went back to the family farm. Now she works on her families calf ranch and uses social media to share her story, relating to those wearing heels and those in boots.

“It started when I went to college in LA. I had a conversation with a classmate about milk and he honestly thought milk came from the grocery store. I could tell how he said it that he had no idea it came from a cow. That totally through me off because I was born and raised in the city, but I had dairy farms all around me. I knew where my milk came from. So, going into this job I went in with a passion. Knowing there are a lot of people who don’t have the advantage of knowing where there food comes from. It has been a huge learning curve for me. When farmers are talking about different things on the farm I don’t know what they are talking about. I know I represent a larger majority of people who have even less of a clue as to what goes on on farms.”

You can follow Briåna on Twitter @HeelsToBoots and don’t forget to check out her blog, From Heels to Boots.

Listen to my complete interview with the Briåna here: Interview with Briåna Belko

Here’s where our photos can be found. 2012 Agvocacy 2.0 Conference Photo Album