Improving Field Crop Extension connectivity and outreach through enhanced in-season communication
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Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) educators are Cornell University’s front line in helping New York field crop producer clientele with crop production and pest management issues. Keeping CCE personnel informed on the latest information and developments helps us meet Cornell’s high standards for extension outreach and provides clientele with quality, pertinent, timely and user-friendly programs and resources that maximize our educational impacts. Enhancing communication opportunities between CCE county and campus personnel helps strengthen the outreach network, and is an important component of CCE’s professional development. This year marked the 12th year of the call series, involving 22 weekly conference calls held from May through September 2019. Each weekly 45 minute call averaged 15 participants. As a result of these conference calls, participants were better equipped to conduct their outreach efforts and meet the field crop pest management needs of their stakeholders. Enhanced communication among CCE personnel, Cornell faculty and NYS IPM staff with field crop responsibilities improved the effectiveness of outreach efforts regarding timely pest and crop management issues. In addition to direct communication during the conference call, topics discussed were summarized and highlights made available to other stakeholders weekly through on-line NYS IPM Weekly Pest Report blogs. Articles from the Weekly Pest Report are frequently used in various extension newsletters and other media including Facebook and Twitter postings with an estimated outreach of 5,000 plus subscribers. End of season surveys and discussions with participants were very positive with much interest and support to continue the conference call series in 2020. And, based on positive feedback from the initiation of off-season calls that focus on specific topics relevant to field crops pest and disease management, this monthly call series was continued into 2019 with six guest speakers from November 2019 – April 2020. For those calls, guest speakers were invited from various organizations including Cornell University, NYS IPM NEWA, University of Wisconsin, CCE, Western NY Crop Management Association, and the Climate Smart Farming Team.