Re: Academics vs. growers?

Marjorie Rayburn (mrayburn@chowan.ces.state.nc.us)
Mon, 2 Nov 1998 10:30:54 -0500 (EST)

Betsy -
I think you raise some valid issues. There's nothing wrong with asking
the internet community for assistance, however, there should also be a local
source of information (the good ole' Extension Agent - with university
specialist back-up) - someone who is familiar with local conditions and typical
diseases (or whatever) commonly seen in an area.
As an Extension agent I hesitate to diagnose over the phone - I might
throw out some possibilities - and if I knew the grower and his/her situation
fairly well, I could be fairly confident of the information I gave out. But,
there's no substitute for being there or having the specimen in front of me to
look at. I also know what additional questions to ask to pin things down.
I also wonder about a grower not having a relationship or confidence in
Extension that they don't think first about going to that source of
information.
There's nothing wrong with "back fence" information exchanges, but when
the "back fence" separates growers by hundreds of miles, or more, it sometimes
loses something in the translation.

Marjorie Rayburn
Area Specialized Agent, IPM
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

On Oct 30, 1:41pm, Betsy Levy wrote:
> Subject: Academics vs. growers?
> I'd like to throw out a dispassionate comment about exchanges on this list.
> I occasionally see postings from growers looking for input on their work,
> and also similar "fishing" postings from less knowledgeable people (myself
> included) which are responded to in a spirit that seems to imply that
> growers are separate from academics and never the twain shall meet. A
> recent exchange about a disease on sweet potato met with an academic's
> response referring the poster to his local extension service, but I saw no
> grower responses. I posted something about controlling pill bugs
> organically and got no response except from someone who thought the
> question was somehow very naive and not something I should have asked a
> national network of organic growers, because of the diversity of their
> growing conditions! I don't get it - why this assumption that informal
> networking over the back fence isn't a legitimate means of information
> exchange among the sustainable ag _community_? Haven't people talked up the
> internet as having just that potential on a national scale? How many
> growers actually subscribe and participate on this list? This stuff really
> interests me! any comments?
>
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>-- End of excerpt from Betsy Levy

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