Good Growing
Search for Excellence in Consumer or Commercial Horticulture
Ken Johnson
Horticulture Educator
University of Illinois Extension, Calhoun/Cass/Greene/Morgan/Scott unit
Jacksonville
Team Members:
Johnson, K*1, Enroth, C*2, Swihart, E*3
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Horticulture Educator, University of Illinois Extension, Jacksonville, Illinois, 62650
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Horticulture Educator, University of Illinois Extension, Macomb, Illinois, 61455
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Horticulture Educator, University of Illinois Extension, Milan, Illinois, 61264
Abstract
Good Growing is a multi-faceted University of Illinois Extension educational outreach effort featuring print media, a blog, podcasts, newsletter, videos, and webinars, propelling it as a modern source of Extension information.?Good Growing is a leading Extension programming?effort and has been recognized by program participants and colleagues for its excellence. The Good Growing Blog has grown to be the most widely viewed?Illinois Extension?blog, with over 595,000 views since 2020. The Good Growing Podcast has been listened to over 62,000 times. Good Growing has delivered 18 webinars that have been attended by 1,750 people live, and the recordings have received over 88,000 views. Sixteen how-to-videos have been created that have been viewed over 51,000 times. Each week 1,339 subscribers receive weekly content emails.?The Good Growing team has achieved remarkable success and continues to innovate, seeking new ways to broaden their reach and connect with diverse audiences. They adhere to the Extension mission of providing research-based information to their community members and offering seasonally relevant horticultural information. When users of Good Growing were surveyed, all respondents indicated they used information from Good Growing in some way. They indicated the Good Growing Blog (89%) and Podcast (81%) have expanded their knowledge and have used this information to manage their landscapes more effectively (65% blog, 61% podcast).
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