I agree with you on the market info.

The thing that strikes me about podcasts is the way they might be used as a quick reaction to some immediate problem. Call up a person in the know, turn on the recorder and get a spot report. It might end up being rough around the edges, but it would be a fast way to make information available.

I run into situations all the time where all hell has broken loose in terms of some insect, for example, but I don't have time to stop and write a story about it. But if I could get that one key Extension specialist or maybe a consultant on the phone, they could give a fast synopsis about the problem and give some examples of what might be working (or not working).

I tried a system this season that allowed Extension people and others to call in a podcast on a toll-free line, and I could then set up a link to it on my web site. I promoted it amongst people who I thought would be interested. But out of maybe 250 who I contacted by email and maybe 25 who I talked with about it over the phone, only one guy actually took advantage of the setup.

Ironically, the idea partly sprang from the fact that several Extension specialists had mentioned wanting to do podcasts and even asked me what I could tell them about it. But when the time came to actually use the technology, none of them stepped forward.