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Division Of Agriculture Experts Bring Podcasting To Producers With Row Crops Radio
LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
Agronomists and researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are making timely recommendations and professional insights even more readily available to producers, consultants and anyone who cares to listen through Row Crop Radio, a new podcast series.
ON AIR – Agronomists and researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are making timely recommendations and professional insights even more readily available to producers, consultants and anyone who cares to listen through Row Crop Radio, a new podcast series.
Podcasting – a media platform that makes audio recordings available for episodic download over the Internet – has grown in popularity since its inception in 2004, and podcasts can now be accessed through a wide variety of free mobile apps, as well as through the Division of Agriculture’s website.
Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist, has hosted four of the five episodes currently available, discussing topics related to the 2019 rice harvest and milling issues. Trent Roberts, extension soil fertility specialist and associate professor of crop, soil and environmental science for the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, recorded an episode as well, dealing with spring and fall nutrient applications.
The episodes are intended to be timely updates on current issues important to growers, Hardke said, without bogging the listener down in lengthy explorations of arcane subject matter.
“We don’t intend for them to be lengthy podcast episodes,” he said. “They’re going to be primarily geared toward shorter bites of information that will be easy for growers, consultants and industry stakeholders to just listen to going down the road, on the tractor, or wherever they may be, instead of stopping to read something.
“With a five- to 10-minute podcast segment, we can say a lot in a short amount of time,” Hardke said. “There’s an ease of explaining things verbally, that can become much more difficult when written.”
As of this week, Hardke said the podcast had been downloaded more than 500 times.
“Considering we just began it in August, I’m fairly pleased with that number,” he said. “It takes time to develop a following, and there’s just less to talk about at this time of the year, in the world of agriculture.
“Our next step is to get some content related to other commodities up,” Hardke said. “Right now, we’re in the middle of trying to get the crop out, as opposed to a lot of major production issues. It might be that the winter is a better time to post some slightly lengthier podcasts, perhaps more open-ended conversations.”
To access Arkansas Row Crops Radio, visit https://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranch/crops-commercial-horticulture/RowCropsRadio.aspx, or search for it in your preferred podcast listening app. ∆
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