Bart Johnson and Dale Minyo have been hard at work creating a new agricultural media outlet in Ohio called the Ohio AgNet. Programming is scheduled to start tomorrow, April 9 on about 20 radio stations according to the pair when I interviewed them late last week. It sounds like some changes at Clear Channel Communications have led to new opportunities for people like these guys. It looks like another state with two farm radio networks.

Bart also publishes Ohio’s Country Journal. He says it’s an exciting time and he’s happy to add radio to the mix of what he can offer to his advertisers. Dale Minyo will be the voice of the network. In my interview he gives a pretty thorough description of the programming they’ll be offering to radio stations after soliciting what they want and need.

Interesting to me is the fact that they’ve got a daily email you can subscribe to which will contain an MP3 file attachment of Dale’s morning report. The idea Bart says is for a farmer to open his email, click on the audio file attachment and listen to Dale while they go through their other emails with a cup of coffee. I told them this sounds like podcasting and I don’t know of anyone else doing exactly what they’re describing. One this is certain, they believe most farmers have broadband access, or at least have it available to them in the state. I think they should just make it a podcast so farmers can subscribe and get the report even if they don’t open their email. They they can listen on their computer or in the truck on the way out to the field! You can learn more about the Ohio AgNet in my interview with Bart and Dale.

Here’s my interview with Bart & Dale:
ohio-agnet-interview.mp3