CLEMSON, S.C. — Since its inception in 1889, Clemson University has been devoted to the study of agriculture and the University’s early system for imparting knowledge to the state’s farmers served as the template for the Cooperative Extension Service and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914.
Over the years, Clemson has been taking research-based information to the citizens of the state through in-person visits and educational programs led by Clemson Cooperative Extension agents, research center field days, educational publications and videos, and websites such as the popular Home and Garden Information Center.
Now the University has entered the podcast arena with Land Matters, a biweekly 20-minute production focusing on agricultural, natural resources, forestry and wildlife issues affecting South Carolina and the Southeast.
Recent Land Matters episodes include interviews about why Bradford pears are such terrible trees, a bike ride through South Carolina that revealed the state’s changing landscape, why insects are disappearing, and the history and benefits of wildfire. Upcoming interviews will look at how new manufacturing techniques for wood products can fuel the forestry industry, how plant genetics can help sustainably feed a growing global population and the importance of soil health to successful food production.
New Land Matters episodes are released every other Tuesday and can be found on all major podcast platforms. Land Matters is also released through the Clemson Extension Facebook page and can be found at https://www.clemson.edu/landmatters/.
Land Matters is produced by Clemson’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences and by Clemson Public Service and Agriculture and is hosted by Clemson University science writer Jonathan Veit.
“Agribusiness isn’t just South Carolina’s largest industry. The sectors that make up the agribusiness industry – agriculture, forestry, natural resources and wildlife – impact people far beyond the economy and are a way of life in South Carolina. Land Matters aims to help people understand those impacts and make sense of what’s happening around them,” Veit said.
—Jonathan Veit, Clemson University