Nevada agriculture specialists have taken the traditional producer coffee-shop discussions into cyberspace. Extension’s coffee shop is a national subscription email designed to provide a two-way communication network for livestock producers. The question-and-answer service provides answers to livestock production and marketing questions.
Range livestock producers operate on a narrow profit margin, so taking advantage of new technology is imperative to their financial success. But finding specific production and marketing information in a timely manner is often difficult for ranchers who reside in remote areas. Frequently, when one producer has a question or problem, neighboring cattle producers have similar questions or issues. The Extension Coffee Shop email exchange functions as the vital link between producers and the information they need.
During the question-answer service for the University's Extension Coffee Shop, the questions and answers are then relayed back out to all email subscribers. When one producer has a question, all other subscribers benefit from the answer.
The program also allows ranchers to chat via email, not only with Extension specialists, but also with other experts and producers. Cattlemen stay on the cutting edge of the cattle industry and get up-to-date production and marketing information right in their office. A new "Tip" section has been added to this program. New ideas are shared by ranchers for use by the ranching community to save money or make life easier on the farm or ranch.
To check out the latest tip, log on to www.nevadacattlemen.org and click on Coffee Shop in the upper right-hand corner for access to the Tips page. Once registered, questions are sent to extensioncoffeeshop@unr.edu.
