The Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast is your source for in-depth discussions on agronomy explicitly tailored for the unique challenges and opportunities in Oklahoma and the Southern Plains.
Hosted by a team of university experts, this podcast dives into soil health, crop production, pest management, and innovative farming practices, all with a regional focus.
Whether you're a seasoned agronomist, a dedicated farmer, or simply passionate about agriculture in the Red Dirt region, this podcast offers practical advice, expert insights, and the latest research to help you thrive in your field.
Tune in and stay connected to the heart of agronomy in the Southern Great Plains.
Extension has always been about getting research-based information into the hands of people who can use it. But what happens when the place producers look for that information changes?
In Episode 518 of the Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast, Dave Deken, Brian Arnall, Ph.D. and Josh Lofton, Ph.D. visit with Daniel Adamson Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension Soil and Water Conservation Specialist, about building an Extension program when YouTube, short-form video and social media increasingly compete with meetings, fact sheets and traditional media for producers' attention.
Adamson joined OSU in fall 2024 and is building a producer-focused program around soil, water and conservation issues.
The group digs into why some of the best Extension content may already be happening during an ordinary day in the field.
A soil pit, harvest footage or a problem a specialist has seen hundreds of times may be exactly what a producer wants to see.
They also talk about keeping video production simple, the disconnect between digital outreach and traditional academic metrics, and why Extension's reputation for unbiased, research-based information could become even more valuable as artificial intelligence changes how people search for agricultural answers.
4 Aug 2026
Farm Recovery: Neighbors Clear the Way After The Storm
A tornado may pass in minutes, but the work it leaves behind can threaten an entire planting season.
In this episode of the Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast, north-central Oklahoma farmer Karen Eifert Jones recounts the April 23 tornado that passed directly over her family’s farm headquarters near Enid and followed a path across five of their farms. Although their home was spared a direct strike, miles of damaged fence, barbed wire, shingles, lumber and household belongings were scattered across fields and pastures that needed to be planted immediately.
Karen explains how more than 150 volunteers, local emergency personnel, churches, neighbors and complete strangers helped clear the land. Two urgently needed hydraulic wire winders were located after days of searching, crews walked fields shoulder to shoulder, and one heavily damaged field was cleared by 3 p.m. and planted by 5 p.m.—just before the next rain.
The conversation also explores what farmers actually need after a disaster. Karen discusses why flexible cash donations can be more useful than unsolicited supplies, how local organizations can identify needs faster, why accessible community shelters matter and how tornado losses affect mental health long after the debris is removed. The episode closes with lessons about USDA fence-replacement assistance, crop rotation, canola production and the strength of rural communities that show up when the work cannot wait.
30 Jul 2026
Can Quarter-Acre Trials Guide Whole Farms?
How can research conducted on a fraction of an acre produce recommendations for an entire farming operation?
In this episode of the Red Dirt Agronomy podcast, Oklahoma State University Extension specialists Brian Arnall Ph.D. and Josh Lofton Ph.D. explain why small-plot research remains one of the most important tools in agricultural science. Small plots allow researchers to control soil, rainfall, pests and other variables while repeating treatments enough times to determine whether a result is dependable or simply field variation.
The conversation follows an idea from its earliest controlled trial through multi-year testing, larger demonstrations and eventual use on commercial farms. Arnall and Lofton also discuss statistical confidence, the financial consequences of a poor recommendation and why an isolated yield response is not enough to justify changing a producer’s management program.
The researchers emphasize that producer cooperators are essential. On-farm trials expose practices to different soils, weather patterns and management systems while giving farmers a way to test a recommendation on limited acres before adopting it across an operation.
The main message is practical: research should not simply show that something worked. It should help producers understand where it works, why it works, when it may fail and whether the likely return justifies the risk.
Who has been a guest on Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dr Jayson Lusk
Dr Jenny Dudak
Tieneke Trotter
Dr. Rodney Jones
Karen Eifert Jones
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
14 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
77
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
77
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