TONASKET, Wash. — Kait Thornton was swarmed by FFA members eager to speak with her following a panel discussion on agricultural communications careers at the Spokane Ag Show last February.

Thornton’s sincerity and matter-of-fact style make her an appealing, approachable role model.

“There are so many different careers in agriculture, and I’ve kind of created my own career,” she said.

Thornton calls herself her dad’s “sidekick” as she learns management of the family’s 440-acre orchard, Thornton Orchards in Tonasket, Wash., raising pears and apples.

When she’s not out in the orchard, she’s creating marketing materials to promote the industry.

Kait Thornton

Title: Orchardist and ag influencer, Thornton Orchards

Age: 21

Hometown: Tonasket, Wash.

Education: Washington State University, studied business administration

Family: Farming with dad. Has three siblings.

Hobbies: ‘Fishing, absolutely.” Hiking, horseback riding, competitive rifle shooting.

Social media:

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@apple.girl.kait

Instagram: www.instagram.com/applegirlkait

Thornton is known as the “Apple Girl” on social media. She shares information about the apple- and pear-growing process throughout the year, reaching 483,000 followers on TikTok (@apple.girl.kait) and Instagram (@applegirlkait).

“I can’t be like, ‘Buy our apples,’” Thornton said. “Moreso my message is, ‘Buy apples, buy pears, in general. Choose those commodities.’”

She also is involved in Agnovo, a social media consultant business for ag-based companies.

“We know how to tell the story or talk to farmers, but we also know how to tell the story of farmers to consumers,” she said.

Her short videos include things like apple defects, why they’re naturally occurring and why consumers shouldn’t shy away from them.

“She’s done some really good things for our industry, kind of free of charge,” said Tom Riggan, CEO of Chelan Fresh.

Young and older consumers find her approach refreshing, he said.

“First of all, she’s grown up on the farm,” he said. “I think they see she’s not just a propaganda person, she’s actually for real. This is her livelihood, her dad’s livelihood.”

By telling the story of apples and pear farming, customers want to buy them, Thornton said, “because they feel like they know what they’re supporting.”

Learning the orchard

Thornton graduated from Washington State University in December. She says she’s the most “prominent” sibling as far as continuing the family business.

She started selling fruit when she was 16.

“I really just discovered my love for the industry, and the flexibility that comes when your office is the orchard,” she said.

The family began experiencing financial difficulty when Thornton turned 17.

“Seeing all of that is when I realized — I really want to do this, no matter how hard it is,” she said.

Thornton considers Chelan Fresh’s Riggan a mentor, but “she kind of mentors me at the same time, as the next generation,” Riggan said.

He’ll attend meetings or dinners where the person he’s meeting will mention Thornton first.

“They’ll go, ‘This blonde girl my wife and kids watch all the time,’ and I’ll say, ‘Kaitlyn?’ and they’ll go, ‘Yeah,’” he said.

“Kait has the perfect mix of energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge needed to connect the right information with the right people,” said Kara Rowe, CEO of KR Creative Strategies, a Washington marketing company for agricultural clients. “Not many people have all three of those components — she does.”

Rowe believes Thornton could be a leader for a new generation of farmers in communications and policy.

“She’s a fun, young and fresh voice in Washington agriculture,” Rowe said. “We need about 100 more like her!”

Other venturesThornton is working to trademark Kait’s Crates, selling apricots, pears and apples within a two-hour radius of the farm.

She wants to develop her YouTube channel, and would love to start a podcast about rural life and agricultural jobs. This year, she’s working with Pear Bureau Northwest and other commodities.

The orchard recently reacquired a warehouse built by her great-grandfather. She’d love that to be the base for Kait’s Crates and offer a taproom or place to buy a sandwich, taking advantage of its location off the main highway into Canada.

“Honestly, I see so much potential for ag tourism,” Thornton said. “And Tonasket, my hometown — we need something to do, a place where we can go.”

Riggan hopes Thornton expands her business “into whatever it’s going to become,” instead of going to work for somebody else.

“I think she’s actually doing what she was made to do,” he said.

Social media

“We need people who can effectively tell our story to people who are opposed to it already,” Thornton said. “And tell it in a positive way that is not deepening gaps that are already there, but rather closing them.”

Kids today have developed natural communications skills through growing up with social media, she said.

“We’re the most marketed-to generation,” she said.

Pushback can be disheartening for farmers.

“But instead of just throwing up our hands and complaining amongst ourselves, we need to be fighting back, but in a way that is not really ‘fighting,’” Thornton said.

For older or less tech-savvy farmers, Thornton recommends using an industry marketing desk. Such organizations are always looking for content, or ways to incorporate the grower’s perspective, she said.

To the farmer hesitant to share his or her story on social media: “Look at how much has changed in the last 30 years. I think it speaks for itself. You don’t want to get left behind, because that’s ultimately what will happen.

“For me, it started out with me just sharing about our different pieces of equipment and what we do in our off-season, like building up our roads,” she continued. “Just lean into what you’re passionate about. That’s going to be what resonates through a phone screen the most.”