Features
From the Editor: Top Crop East March 2019

An interesting article landed in my inbox one day in mid-February, just as southern Ontario was getting hit with yet another winter storm. On first glance, the title – “Why do we need to keep breeding new crop varieties?” – seemed a bit, well, redundant. I already know several reasons why plant breeding is important; surely this article won’t tell me anything new.

I nearly deleted the email, but decided to click through when I realized it was actually a featured post from the Sustainable, Secure Food Blog, which is sponsored and written by members of the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. The website’s “About Us” page says the blog aims to build the story of how food is grown, both in the United States and worldwide, and the general tone of it speaks to consumers and members of the agriculture industry alike. Much like the rest of the blog, the particular article I read was written in plain, factual terms and was easy to understand and digest for those; one worth passing along to someone with or without a background in agriculture.

I’ve always taken interest in how other people like to consume information. As a writer, I do have loyalty to the written word on paper, whether in a book, newspaper or magazine. But it’s 2019, and digital platforms like Twitter, blogs and websites are becoming greater sources of information than ever. Blogs and online articles take up a mere fraction of the Internet’s real estate, and yet they are so easy to read, access and share with the click of a button.

Now, you’ll be able to do this even more easily with the launch of our new website, TopCropManager.com. Not to worry – all of your favourite parts, including agronomy news, feature stories and our webinar archive are still prominent. You’ll still find the latest industry news on the homepage, but our new “Features” category will make it easier than ever to find our cover stories and web exclusive features. A drop-down menu lists topics and categories so you can read content about one specific topic, and the webinar and digital edition archives are still handy along the top of the homepage. Want to read the blog post I referenced above, or an article from a past issue? Simply begin typing the headline into the search bar and related results will show up as a preview. What’s particularly exciting is the site’s mobile optimization, so its even easier for you to find resources and content while you’re on the go.

For our team, an important part of this redesign was making the website easier to navigate, with a clean, fresh look. We’re thrilled with the result, and we hope you are too. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be making small tweaks and adjustments. If you spot something you love – or something doesn’t look right – send an email to topcrop@annexweb.com. We’d love to hear from you!