Success StoryHorticulture Public Relations Efforts in Warren County



Horticulture Public Relations Efforts in Warren County

Author: Kristin Hildabrand

Planning Unit: Warren County CES

Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home

Plan of Work: Horticulture

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

 In order to reach clientele with the various programs and resources offered through the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the horticulture extension agent works diligently throughout the fiscal year to share research based information on multiple media outlets in Warren County. Here is a brief description explaining more about each marketing channel used and the successes noticed from each of them. 

  • Farm and Home Show TV is an educational, 5 minute show shares seasonal topics related to the farm and the home and is broadcast on the WBKO TV Station to residents across the South Central Kentucky viewing area. Since July, numerous gardening episodes have covered topics on growing microgreens, certified monarch waystation, recent commercial cut flower virtual short courses, and many others. After episodes initially aired on WBKO, agents posted and scheduled segments were shown on Warren County Agriculture and the Warren County Extension Master Gardener Facebook page. This outreach through the Farm and Home Show has served as a catalyst for Warren County residents and South Central Kentucky communities.
  • The Warren County Agriculture Facebook page continues to reach several new clientele each day. The horticulture extension agent updates the social media account by sharing seasonal gardening tips for both the lawn and garden. She also highlights horticulture knowledge through videos that have also appeared on the daily Farm and Home page. To date, we have a total of 2.19 K with an estimated audience reach between 228 million to 268 million people. Recently after a microgreen TV segment was shared on the page, a Warren County grower commented, “I’ve just recently decided I wanted to pursue growing microgreens! Thanks! Now you need to help me grow them”. The Kentucky Association for County Agriculture Agents recently recognized the Facebook page as a state winner for their 2022 Communication Awards. 
  • Get the Scoop Radio Show airs each weekday morning at 5:00 AM on Goober 95.1 FM. Get the Scoop Radio Show brings the message and education of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service to over 50,000 listeners and homes each morning across 10 counties located in the South Central Kentucky area. Each show lasts 5 minutes in length and give listeners a daily dose of timely research-based information on various agriculture and horticulture topics. Since the shows debut in 2016, the show has developed an avid following of listeners ranging from farmers, gardeners, city dwellers, and area commuters. Due to numerous requests, the radio station archived the radio show on the station’s website, so listeners could hear programs on-demand after the initial broadcast. In April 2022, the Kentucky Association for County Agriculture Agents (KACAA) recognized Get the Scoop Radio Show as an outstanding communication winner in the audio recordings division. 
  • The Sunshine Gardening Podcast is another platform that has reached new audiences for Cooperative Extension with gardening information. The unique fact about this platform is that subscribed users can access the content at anytime from anywhere in the United States. The horticulture agent serves as the host and interviews several area extension agents and Extension specialists. Finalized podcast episodes are uploaded on a monthly basis to a hosting service and then shared on numerous podcast networks from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and others. Since launching the podcast in April 2020, the Sunshine Gardening Podcast has a total of 21 episodes with an estimated 5,053 downloads. One podcast subscriber left a review on Apple Podcasts that said, “I listen to other gardening podcasts and I’m so glad we have this local show to hear information pertinent to our area”. 
  • The Horticulture Happenings Newsletter is created by the horticulture extension agent and is distributed to interested horticulture enthusiasts in and around the Warren County community. In this resource, gardening information for the lawn, vegetable garden, and landscape highlights the appropriate time to carry out season gardening activities for maximum results. The newsletter is mailed quarterly to 1600 people as well as 40 people through the electronic newsletter option. One subscriber of the newsletter commented to the agent, “Nice job!  Not only is the newsletter informative and helpful, but it looks GREAT!

By having multiple outlets via TV, radio, podcast, social media, and through the printed newsletter and blog, the efforts from the Warren County Cooperative Extension Service is being extended out into the community. These opportunities are also helping Extension build a positive relationship and shaping public conversation about them as well. 






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