Louisiana Grain Bin Safety Video Goes Viral
By Carey Martin, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation
A Facebook Live video originating at a Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation grain bin safety training seminar in Vidalia on Monday has gone viral, garnering over 316,000 views reaching 683,000 people in just four days.
*Editor's update: As of Sunday night, March 5th, at 10pm, total views were up to 472,128 with 998,200 people reached.
Louisiana farmer Landon White prepares to be sunk into a grain bin rescue simulator. The Facebook Live video of the event has gone viral, with over 316,000 views as of Thursday night.
The video was shot by Louisiana Farm Bureau Social Media Specialist Kristen Oaks-White and features her husband, Louisiana farmer Landon White, being sunk chest deep in corn into a grain bin training simulator. Rescue workers then use a grain bin rescue tube to free him from the entrapment.
The simulated rescue took about 15 minutes, and other than having boots full of corn, Landon came out of the rescue safe and sound.
The Facebook Live video is the most successful social media post in the history of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.
"We've had a social media presence for nine years, and we've had well over two million views over that time period between YouTube, Facebook and Twitter," said Oaks-White. "But no single post has ever been as popular as this one."
Thursday afternoon the video was getting about 1,000 views every 15 minutes.
Four grain bin rescue seminars were conducted around Louisiana this week as a joint project between the Louisiana and Mississippi Farm Bureau Federations. "We had so many people show up at the four seminars we put on. Just to see such a large group of rescue workers and farmers was amazing," said Louisiana Farm Bureau Safety Specialist Wendell Miley.
"To see it do so well on social media is just great. The response we have gotten from everyone has been very eye opening," said Miley.
To watch the video, visit the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation's Facebook page @LaFarmBureau.