What do you do when you can't hold meetings to keep farmers informed? With ethanol demand collapsing, plants are turning to making sanitizer, but there are other impacts as well. And while California is dealing with coronavirus, there's another approaching issue – drought.
The latest episode of Around Farm Progress visits with two Farm Progress editors to get the lowdown on those hot topics.
Mindy Ward, editor, Missouri Ruralist, shares insight on how Extension experts are able to reach out to farmers in new ways from statewide town halls to video chats to texting. And she offers some insight into what the collapse of ethanol demand looks like not only for the plants but for farmers that rely on feed byproducts.
Out west, the diverse agriculture of California is under pressure from coronavirus, and Tim Hearden, Western Farm Press, shares insight on that issue. He also raises a non-COVID-19 issue that California farmers will be facing in 2020 and that's water access with drought appearing in the state.
Ward and Hearden offer their local view of how these issues are impacting farmers and the people who support the industry.
On an added note, readers can catch all of the Farm Progress coverage of COVID-19 by visiting the special coronavirus online channel. Farm Progress editors are covering this event from across the country providing both local and national insight into how it impacts all of agriculture. Just visit FarmProgress.com/coronavirus.
The weekly podcast goes live online by 3 p.m. Central time each Friday and will engage editors from around the country. There will also be special guests, and other information provided in this new show, so make an appointment to listen. You can listen to this week's episode above and subscribe on Podbean at Around Farm Progress the podcast. More podcast tools are being added including Spotify, iTunes and Google play.
Farmers are getting their information in new ways. Farm Progress is a leader in reaching them as needed. From top magazines around the country to one of the first agriculture-focused mobile apps from Farm Futures, to the leading television presence with This Week in Agribusiness, the company covers all media for agriculture.
Comments or questions? Just send a note to willie.vogt@farmprogress.com