According to research from HubSpot, YouTube is the second most trafficked website behind google, and four times as many people prefer watching video on YouTube rather than on social media platforms.  The Simpson County Ag Advisory Council and local clientele indicated that they would benefit from credible educational videos about local timely topics pertaining to agriculture, horticulture and natural resources.

Therefore, the Simpson and Allen County Extension Agents for Agriculture & Natural Resources developed the “In the Field with UK Extension” YouTube video series.  This series consists of timely videos that address topics and questions from clientele.   These videos focus on a specific topic and serve as a resource for producers to provide information that can utilized on the farm to help them become more efficient in their overall production methods.   The series features a variety of topics relating to agriculture, horticulture and natural resources.  Ten videos have been posted to date and the series has progressively gained more views and likes.  Videos have consisted of the following topics:  Poison Hemlock Identification and Control, Selecting & Curing Firewood, Trapping Nuisance Wildlife, Controlling Moles, Black Vulture Effigy Construction, Black Vulture Effigy Placement, Use and Permits, Grafting Fruit Trees Using a Whip Graft, Frost Seeding Clover, Raised Bed Garden Construction and Planting a Raised Bed Garden.  Videos can be accessed directly through YouTube, social media outlets and on the Simpson and Allen County websites.  Also, a qualtrics survey was developed that allows interested clientele to sign up for notifications when new videos are posted through an email listserv.  The video recording, editing, posting and promotion is done exclusively by the Allen and Simpson County Agents and support staff.

The “In the Field with UK Extension” video series has a total of 1,420 views.  At least four beef producers reported that they followed video instructions to construct a black vulture effigy to deter predatory vultures during calving season.   Five clients reported that they constructed a raised bed garden this season based off of instructions in that particular video.  Often times, the videos have served as a good reference tool for assistance with customer service.  The videos have received many positive verbal and typed comments online. One comment made was “Awesome video! I enjoyed watching. Thank you for sharing”. This individual also subscribed to our channel to get notifications for future educational videos that we produce.  Fourteen people have subscribed to the YouTube channel at this point.

With the start of 2020 being very challenging due to COVID-19 and mandatory lock downs, virtual learning has become the new normal. With limited face-to-face meetings, “In The Field” has been a great success and will continue to grow.