Impact of the Extension's soybean podcast alerts: A case study.

摘要

Since 2004, podcasts have steadily emerged as valuable communication tools in both industry and academia. As an educational provider to the agricultural community, the Cooperative Extension Service strives to stay on the forefront of new communication technology. In 2009, the Communications department of the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service developed a series of video podcast alerts for Arkansas soybean producers. These podcast alerts were intended to alert producers of potential weed and disease problems during the soybean growing season. Case study surveys were conducted at the beginning and end of the growing season to assess the impact of the podcasts alerts from the perspective of three participating groups: (1) Extension specialists, (2) Extension county agents, and (3) Arkansas soybean producers. Case study survey findings suggested that the podcasts included valuable information for producers during the growing season, but that the podcasts were not timely enough to impact most producers' farming practices.