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A monthly snapshot of CAST’s communications performance across social media, web traffic, membership, publications, earned media, and YouTube.

CAST in Numbers

This dashboard tracks the performance of CAST’s communications and marketing efforts in 2026. It is updated monthly, typically within the first week of each month, and covers data from January 1 through the most recent full month available.

Data is pulled from six sources: Buffer (social media), Google Analytics 4 (website traffic), GrowthZone (membership), OJS (publication downloads and views), Muck Rack (earned media), and YouTube Studio (video performance). Each section includes a summary of key insights and charts for the current year.

For questions about the data or methodology, contact Carlos Back Vianna, Director of Marketing & Communications — cvianna@cast-science.org.

Year-to-Date Highlights -- Updated
Social Posts
--
Posts published across LI, X, FB, IG — Buffer
Social Reach
--
Unique people who saw a post — Buffer
Sessions
--
Website visits on cast-science.org — GA4
Members
--
Active paid members — GrowthZone
Downloads
--
PDF downloads from CAST publications — OJS
Mentions
--
Times CAST appeared in news media — Muck Rack
YouTube Views
--
Total video views on CAST's channel — YouTube Studio
139.6M
Earned Media Reach
Estimated total audience of outlets that covered CAST — Jan–Aug
2,115x
Press Amplification
Ratio of earned media reach to CAST's own social reach
405
Posts Published
Across LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram — ~51/month
3.83%
Social Engagement Rate
Likes, comments, shares per impression — nonprofit avg: ~1–2%
38
Program Participations
Expert contributions to CAST programs — Jan–Aug 2026
Social Media — Buffer
Posts Published by Platform
Source: Buffer
Social Reach
Source: Buffer — LI impressions + TW impressions + IG reach combined
Total Engagements
Source: Buffer (FB engagements + IG likes + TW engagements + LI clicks)
LinkedIn Followers
Source: Buffer -- LinkedIn channel
Website — GA4
Website Sessions
Source: Google Analytics 4
Website Insights
Top Pages by Views — Jan to Aug 19
Source: GA4 — Jan 1 – Aug 19, 2026
Homepage9,024
Publications2,286
News1,340
AI in Agriculture1,290
August Top Pages — Views
Source: GA4 — Aug 1–19, 2026
Homepage914
Borlaug Award [spike]397
Publications336
News147
Traffic Sources — Sessions
Source: GA4 — Jan 1 – Aug 19, 2026
Direct21,490
Organic Search7,201
Referral2,308
Organic Social1,160
Search Console impressions & clicks — pending connection
Membership — GrowthZone
New Members per Month
Source: GrowthZone (excl. Courtesy)
Membership Snapshot
Source: GrowthZone dashboard — August 2026
843
Active Members
2,318
Total Members
264
New Since Jan 1
579
Retained Members
Programs & Engagement — Notion
Contribution Events by Program — 2026
Source: Notion — Jan 1 – Aug 19, 2026
Task Force Contributor Credits
Source: cast-science.org/task-force-members — all time
1,689
Volunteer contributor credits across all CAST publications
One credit per person per paper — individuals may appear multiple times
Governance Participants
Source: Notion CAST Governance — current roster
85
Total Active Members
50
Workgroup Members
Animal 14  |  Food 12  |  Plant 24
23
Strategic Advisory Council
12
Board of Directors
Publications — OJS
Monthly Page Views (Abstract + File)
Source: OJS — Jan 1 – Aug 2026
Most Viewed Publications
Source: OJS — Jan 1 – Aug 2026 — total views (abstract + file)
Most Downloaded Publications (PDF)
Source: OJS — Jan 1 – Aug 2026
Top Countries by Publication Views
Source: OJS — Jan 1 – Aug 2026 — active users by country
  1. United States — 16,047
  2. India — 665
  3. Poland — 506
  4. Brazil — 463
  5. Vietnam — 433
  6. Germany — 291
  7. Japan — 274
  8. Mexico — 248
  9. Canada — 198
  10. Singapore — 142
Publications Pipeline — 20 Active
Source: Notion Publications Tracker — excludes Published and Dormant
Proposal — 3
  • BioSecurity (Plant)
  • El Nino (Plant)
  • Genome Edited Livestock (Animal)
Recruiting TF — 7
  • Food Safety of Marijuana & CBD (Food)
  • Lessons Learned from HPAI (Animal)
  • Microplastics in Agriculture (Food)
  • Gut Microbiota (Food)
  • Food Waste & Composting (Food)
  • mRNA Vaccines in Livestock (Animal)
  • Wild Hogs (Animal)
Drafting — 5
  • Maximum Residue Levels (Plant)
  • Spray Drift Reduction (Plant)
  • Genome Edited Microbes (Plant)
  • Surfactants in Agriculture (Food)
  • Irradiated Foods (Food)
Reviewing — 4
  • Sustainable Intensification (Plant)
  • PFAS in Farms & Food (Food)
  • USDA Priorities (Food)
  • AI in Agriculture Policy Brief (Plant)
Final Edits — 1
  • Harmful Algal Bloom (Plant)
Earned Media — Muck Rack
Media Mentions
Source: Muck Rack — Jan 1 – Aug 19, 2026 (128 articles)
Estimated Audience Reach (UVM)
Source: Muck Rack / Similarweb — unique visitors to outlets that mentioned CAST
YouTube — YouTube Studio
Video Views
Source: YouTube Studio — Jan 1 – Aug 19, 2026
Top Videos by Views
Source: YouTube Studio — Jan 1 – Aug 19, 2026
Gene-Edited Crops Webinar
Jan 28  ·  345 views  ·  58.4h watched  ·  18 subs
AI at Work in Agriculture, Session 1
Jun 25  ·  274 views  ·  55.3h watched  ·  5 subs  ·  5.16% CTR
Dr. David Ortega on Food Prices
Jul 8  ·  242 views  ·  113.0h watched  ·  8 subs
AI & Bioinformatics Webinar
Apr 30  ·  238 views  ·  26.6h watched  ·  7 subs
Diversifying the Corn Belt Webinar
Apr 14  ·  203 views  ·  31.5h watched  ·  4 subs
41,715
Impressions
2.62%
Click-Through Rate
Webinars — StreamYard
Webinar Summary
Source: StreamYard registrant exports — Jan 1 – Aug 19, 2026  ·  est. viewers = registrants x 70%
10
Webinars
2,807
Total Registrants
9 public webinars
~2,074
Est. Total Viewers
incl. 110 live members
Registrants by Webinar
Source: StreamYard — ordered by date
All Webinars — 2026
Source: StreamYard registrant exports  ·  CAST Initiative was members-only (no public registration)
Webinar Date Registrants Est. Viewers
Gene-Edited Crops: Product Development and Global Regulations Jan 27 667 ~467
Diversifying the Corn Belt: Policy Pathways for a Resilient Agricultural Future Apr 14 431 ~302
eKonomics Calculators in Practice: Tools and Resources for Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Apr 24 185 ~130
From Code to Culture: How AI and Bioinformatics Are Transforming In Vitro Biology Apr 30 265 ~186
Integrated Management of Fire-Adapted Invasive Plants That Change Wildfire Regimes May 7 256 ~179
Supporting the Mental Health and Economic Viability of Agricultural Communities May 14 234 ~164
Beyond the Basics: Putting AI to Real Work in Agriculture Jun 25 341 ~239
Addressing Key Concerns with AI in Agriculture Jul 2 226 ~158
Case Studies in AI — AI at Work in Agriculture Jul 9 202 ~141
The CAST Initiative: Where We Are and What's Ahead (members-only, live) Aug 4 N/A ~110
Total 2,807 ~2,074

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