Newsletter

Kness, A.*¹,
¹ Agent, University of Maryland Extension, Street, MD, 21154

Harford Ag Notes is the local agriculture newsletter distributed by University of Maryland Extension in Harford County. The target audience of this monthly newsletter is local agriculture professionals in Harford County, MD; however, subscribers are located in surrounding counties in Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania. The newsletter is distributed to 514 farmers, industry professionals, extension colleagues, local government officials, and related individuals in the field of agriculture. Harford Ag Notes is distributed both electronically via email (70%), as well as hard copy mailings (30%) in order to reach all interested readers.

A recent needs assessment conducted by the University of Maryland Extension determined that newsletters are one of the most convenient and utilized sources of information for agriculture clientele; therefore, this newsletter not only strives to keep readers up-to-date with current events, workshops, and news, but emphasis is placed on giving readers educational articles and resources that are timely and pertinent to their farming operations.

Personal communication with subscribers indicate that articles in this newsletter provides readers with information that is valuable and impactful and demonstrates that newsletters are an effective educational tool for extension educators.