GOOD CONVERSATION MAKES FOR EASY LISTENING
The podcast is a farmer-friendly medium that packages industry information in a conversational way. Convenient for those who spend long hours in the cab or in the shop, you can listen to what you want when you want. Seasoned Prairie farm journalists Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck team up for an entertaining and informative podcast that draws upon their ag knowledge and considerable conversation skills.
Every second week, the duo publishes a new episode of The Extensionists: Conversations with Great Thinkers in Agriculture. They discuss and dissect topics at the cutting edge of agriculture with farmers, researchers and industry leaders. In recent episodes, they have discussed compaction mitigation with soil scientist Afua Mante and the ecological and economic gains possible on unproductive land with university professor Paul Galpern. They also sat down with Keith Downey, the 98-year-old “Father of canola.”
While podcasting satisfies an audio gap once filled by farm radio, it also complements print publications, said Whetter, who hosted 97 episodes of Canola Watch for Canola Council of Canada. “A podcast is more intimate than radio,” he said. “You feel like you’re part of a conversation. It’s my favourite way to reach people and learn new things. Toban and I also like talking.” They like it so much, in fact, they have discussed one day assembling portable podcasting gear and recording conversations in rural coffee shops on a cross-country tour.
The Extensionists is produced by Burr Forest Group, Dyck’s ag communications agency. “Jay and I have a good rapport, and we create a good environment for our guests,” he said. Perspective earned through years of print and audio journalism experience allows them to joke, playfully jab and explore serious issues with seriously interesting people.
“We do the prep work, we have a big idea—this is why we’re talking to our guest—but we let the conversation go wherever,” added Whetter. “That free flow makes it easy to listen to.”
Listen to The Extensionists at theextensionists.com.
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