With in-person interactions across the state severely limited due to the continuing pandemic, staying connected can be quite challenging. The K-State Agronomy department has several social media accounts and other digital resources available, including the Extension Agronomy eUpdate, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, in addition to our departmental website, www.agronomy.k-state.edu
The Department of Agronomy is doing outstanding work in teaching, research, and extension. Our goal is to keep you up-to-date on all things K-State Agronomy including: faculty and student activities, our best recommendations for crop, forage, and soil management in Kansas, and current crop conditions. Our social media and electronic forums emphasize efficient agronomic practices, current research, student accomplishments within the department, new faculty hires and retirements, and much more.
Extension Agronomy eUpdate
The article you’re reading now is part of a regular weekly electronic publication called the Extension Agronomy eUpdate. The national award-winning Agronomy eUpdate provides timely information across a wide range of agricultural topics and agronomic issues. Contributors to the eUpdate include not only extension specialists and researchers in the Agronomy department, but also plant pathology, entomology, agricultural economics, and animal science.
“The Extension Agronomy eUpdate is an extremely valuable resource that targets a wide range of end users associated with Kansas agriculture. It represents a collaborative outreach effort between our outstanding agronomy specialists and other departments to provide up-to-date information on current agronomic issues affecting Kansas and the surrounding region and it’s free!” – Kathy Gehl, eUpdate editor.
The eUpdate is offered as a free resource to all individuals. You can subscribe to the eUpdate by visiting the homepage at https://eupdate.agronomy.ksu.edu/.
The eUpdate homepage features the current eUpdate as well as access to detailed archives going back to 2013. Each week, the eUpdate is emailed to subscribers as soon as it is published. The reach of the eUpdate goes well beyond Kansas and the Midwest. Just in 2020 alone, the eUpdate website has had over 48,000 users that span dozens of countries around the globe (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Geographical location of web traffic associated with the eUpdate website from January 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020. Countries shaded in blue represent at least 1 visitor to the eUpdate website. Map provided by Google Analytics.
Twitter (@KStateAgron)
K-State Agronomy became active on Twitter in 2013 with the goal of reaching practicing professionals in agriculture with the latest crop and forage production practices and crop condition updates. Our Twitter postings have since gained a large base of followers, with almost 8,000 Twitter followers and an average of over 70,000 tweet impressions each month.
You can follow the Agronomy department on Twitter at @KStateAgron.
Instagram (@ksuagronomy)
The Department of Agronomy uses Instagram to reach potential and current students, as well as alumni. Our Instagram posts provide a flow of images highlighting student activities, current research projects, and other various happenings in the department (Figure 2). With this new target audience in mind, the department hopes to attract future K-State students to Agronomy and keep interested Alumni members informed on what the department is doing - in picture form!
You can follow us on Instagram at @ksuagronomy.
Figure 2. Instagram post highlighting an updated classroom in Throckmorton Hall.
Facebook (@kstate.agronomy)
Our Facebook page has been providing current updates on the department since 2012. Facebook recognizes student and faculty accomplishments, as well as events hosted by the department (Figure 3). You can access our Facebook page at @kstate.agronomy
Figure 3. Example of a past Facebook post highlighting one of the many accomplishments in the Agronomy Department from the Crops Team.
YouTube (KStateAgronomy)
Last but not least, the K-State Agronomy hosts a YouTube channel to reach producers, practicing agronomists, and other agronomy professionals. This is our newest platform and we are trying to grow our subscribers. In the last 6 months, 15 new videos have been added that have been viewed almost 2,000 times collectively. These videos vary in scope and topic, ranging from research spotlights to recaps from the 2020 Wheat Field Days.
Be sure to check out this resource and get subscribed (it’s also free!). Simply go to https://www.youtube.com/user/KStateAgronomy.
Additional online resources
Stay tuned to the eUpdate in the coming weeks as we highlight other valuable resources that can be accessed online. There’s a wealth of agronomic information out there if you know where to look!
Kathy Gehl, Agronomy eUpdate Editor and Social Media Co-Chair
kgehl@ksu.edu
DeAnn Presley, Soil Management Specialist and Social Media Co-Chair
deann@ksu.edu
Tags: online resources social media