Agricultural Sciences

'Produce Pointers' podcast delivers timely information for growers

"Produce Pointers," a new podcast from Penn State Extension, can help vegetable and small-fruit growers manage pests and diseases affecting their crops. Credit: Penn State College of Agricultural SciencesAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new Penn State Extension podcast is aimed at helping Pennsylvania produce growers make timely crop management decisions. The "Produce Pointers" podcast provides another avenue for the vegetable and small-fruit industry to access quick updates on plant diseases and pests throughout Pennsylvania.

Hosted by horticulture extension educators Glen Bupp, Leah Fronk and Karly Regan, the podcast covers growing conditions across the state and features guest interviews with university researchers, extension educators and current farmers.

“Podcasts are user-friendly,” said Fronk. “People can listen to them while driving, or, depending on their equipment, they can listen on their phone in a tractor. It’s a good platform to reach people.”

Penn State’s vegetable and small-fruit extension educators meet every other week to update one another on the progression of insects and diseases throughout Pennsylvania. They also problem-solve horticultural issues and look for novel pests. The information discussed during these meetings is distilled and shared with produce growers via the podcast.

“People like to know about corn earworm and other sweet corn pests and diseases such as downy mildew, which typically affects cucurbits,” Bupp said.

Podcast episodes range from 15 to 30 minutes. The hosts may devote more time to a guest interview but otherwise focus on delivering quick and timely updates so listeners can glean important information in a short amount of time.

Interviews with guests focus on emerging topics in research related to growing produce, in-field observations and practical experience that growers can apply on their farms.

“We had a really good chat with a faculty member from Cornell about breeding plant varieties that are resistant to diseases,” Regan said. “We had a dynamic discussion on how growers can set themselves up for success.”

Bupp especially encourages new or organic farmers to tune into the podcast for the practical value it offers. “We interact with very experienced and knowledgeable farmers,” he said. “We’re not always trading academic information. We’re also trading experiential, on-the-ground information that I think newer or organic farmers could benefit from.”

The hosts plan to release the podcast year-round. “During the growing season from May to September, we’ll have biweekly production updates, and then during the offseason we’ll explore topics with guest speakers,” Regan said. “It’ll have a different feel in the winter than in the summer, but we hope both formats will be useful and worth listening to.”

Listeners can ask questions or suggest topics for podcasts by emailing the hosts at producepointers@psu.edu. “We want to know what people want to hear about,” said Bupp. “We’re very open to input.”

Podcast episodes are available at this link on the Penn State Extension website, on Spotify, or anywhere podcasts are found.
 

Last Updated July 22, 2022

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