Nebraska Ag Director says misleading Tik Tok video hurts agriculture’s story

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Nebraska Ag Director says misleading Tik Tok video hurts agriculture’s story

Nebraska’s Department of Agriculture is pushing back on videos spreading on a social media platform that say the government is paying farmers to destroy their crops. “That on its face is false.”

Director Steve Wellman tells Brownfield the videos on Tik Tok use scare tactics and misinformation that have sparked concerns from consumers even though the video was created as a joke.  “They’re counter to building the consumer confidence and trust that agriculture has been working on so long.”

One video appears to have a Nebraska farmer opening a letter from a government agency with the title “Got The Letter To Destroy Crops” and has more than 36,000 likes.

He says the concern is widespread because he’s received calls from people in North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska.

Wellman says social media can positively share agriculture stories when it’s used appropriately. “We also believe that the trust and confidence is key to agriculture success, delivering our high-quality products to the consumers here in the U.S. and to our consumers around the world.”

Wellman says there isn’t a local, state or federal agency that would pay farmers to destroy their crops

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