Agriculture economists launch new podcast  

Arkansas agricultural extension economists have launched a new weekly podcast aimed at giving farmers economic issues. Anchoring the podcast each week is Riley Smith, agricultural economics and agribusiness program associate.

The “Morning Coffee and Ag Markets” podcast is the brainchild of Ryan Loy and Hunter Biram, extension economists for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“Everybody can listen, but our main target audience is our farmers,” Loy said. Each episode will be 10-20 minutes, an easy listen in the combine or truck with a cup of coffee, he added.

So far, their topics have included Farm Bill proposals and the spread between input and output prices.

Biram and Loy conceived the podcast as a way to stay in touch with Arkansas’ ag professionals during the growing season, not just in the off-season.

“In the winter, Hunter and I get out in the counties making presentations and just having that every day rapport with farmers,” Loy said. “The podcast is a way that we can still have that conversation with them.”

The podcast launched July 24 and has four episodes. Biram and Loy will alternate weeks at the microphone.

“In addition to our regular episodes, we would like to have roundtable discussions,” Loy said. “We want to bring in industry folks and farmers and talk about what they see going on in the industry.”