In this space in our last issue, our director of Digital Strategies at Issues Ink, Jill Hollosi, informed Spud Smart magazine readers about the brand new look, enhanced responsiveness and increased functionality of spudsmart.com.
That was just the start. There have been some more exciting new digital developments and engagement opportunities for website visitors here at Spud Smart. I’m pleased to tell you about our new Spud Smart podcasts and webinars.
This year, we’ll be bringing you a series of relevant and informative podcasts you can listen to at your leisure on your computer or mobile device.
The first podcast on Fighting Seed Decay to Prevent Yield Loss in Potatoes is already available to download at spudsmart.com. It features Dr. Rick Peters, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist who’s one of Canada’s foremost experts on potato diseases (he’s also a member of the Spud Smart editorial advisory board).
For this inaugural podcast, Peters talks about issues around seed potato decay caused by various pathogens, which can have a significant impact on crop emergence, vigour and ultimately yield. Most importantly, we hear Peters’ insights on what growers can do to protect their valuable potato crops.
Also new in 2016 is our series of Roundtable webinars. The webinars, which you will be able to register for and participate in live or download as a podcast from spudsmart.com afterwards, are designed to delve a little deeper into the subject matter of Roundtable articles that appear in Spud Smart magazine.
The first webinar in March, for example, will expand on the Roundtable topic of Tighter Row Spacing in Potato Production that’s featured on page 18 of this issue. We’d like to thank our sponsors for helping bring this valuable information to producers and help Canada’s potato industry grow.
The contribution of Spud Smart magazine over the years has been significant, and its value as a considerable resource for Canadian potato growers and many others in the industry is as strong as ever. But Spud Smart is much more than that today, with new digital features now offered (and others in the works) that provide our readers, viewers and listeners with the information they need ― when they want it, and however they want it, whether it’s from a magazine, a desktop computer or a smartphone. Like we said last time in From Our Desk, “In this digital age, that’s truly a good thing.”
