Using Public Relations to Reach Horticulture Enthusiasts
Agriculture Awareness and Appreciation Award
Sherri Sanders
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
University of Arkansas Syst. Div. of Agri. Ext. Serv.
SEARCY
Team Members:
Sanders, S*1
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CEA-AGRI, , Searcy, Arkansas, 72143
Abstract
Intensive programmatic efforts were conducted/coordinated in the following areas: On site and on farm horticulture demonstrations, Pollinator education, Lectures by Agent, Master Gardener volunteers and Community Garden outreach, and Social media platforms.
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Demonstrations are an important key to successful educational programs. They show the university research in real world situations and they help teach people through hands-on learning, not just lectures. Another key factor is that they allow the audience to see the agent getting real work done alongside the clientele, which makes agents more relatable.
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The COVID pandemic required agents to find new and innovative ways to reach our audience for educational meetings and workshops. The Brown Bag Lecture Series on Zoom provided horticulture education for people from across the state and nation. We started in April of 2020 on Wednesdays at noon.
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My target audience is the general public and Master Gardeners with an interest in commercial and homeowner horticulture.
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Facebook groups include:
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My county agent page: https://www.facebook.com/UAEX.WhiteCountyAgriculture/
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White County Master Gardener Page: https://www.facebook.com/WCMG1997/
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Searcy Pollinator Friendly Page: https://www.facebook.com/SearcyPollinatorFriendly/
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Searcy Tree Board: https://www.facebook.com/Searcy-Tree-Board-271545119535832/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/SherriSanders11
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Collectively, these social media platforms reach an average of over 14,870 direct and indirect contacts monthly, with some months reaching over 20,000 contacts. Content is also available on the White County Extension Website https://www.uaex.edu/counties/white/. Analytics and personal testimony revealed that clientele from 26 states and 9 countries have benefited from knowledge gained through my social media educational efforts.
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Social Media platforms have generated 424,456 indirect contacts and 143,342 direct contacts in Horticulture programming.
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This exposure has allowed the agent an opportunity to reach a non-traditional audience and to make them more aware of the Cooperative Extension Service and its horticulture resources and other valuable programs.
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Twenty five sessions have been utilized since April 2020 with total combined live participants of 6239 people and 4196 downloads of the recording after the presentations. We have 1295 (unduplicated) people on our email list that have shown interest in and wanted to be included in each week’s invitation. All videos are made available on our county website for people to watch later.
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Years of CES Service: 0
Entry