Finding Agri-Marketing’s New Normal

few months ago, I joined the Texas Department of Agriculture to help guide their international marketing efforts. This was exciting to me for several reasons. It meant a return working A in the public service sector, finding ways to contribute to an industry I love and the opportunity to serve the amazing families in the Texas agriculture industry. I also hoped this new post would mean I wasn’t on the road 60% of the time ... and from a strictly academic perspective I got my wish (and then some)!

As I reflect on my professional life since March, it dawned on me that this unique and uniquely challenging time has brought with it some silver linings. Instead of filling my calendar with the meetings and travel and trade shows that would typically be happening, I have time to think about what we really want to accomplish in terms of putting Texas agriculture on a global stage. I can connect with people I’d never have gotten access to and can learn more about markets all over the world. I have the luxury of digging deeper into my ongoing Texas agriculture education, making me a better advocate and champion for you here at home and around the world. In short, I was forced to drop the busy-ness which is allowing me to really focus on the business.

I don’t think these silver linings are limited to me. Please know that this isn’t written lightly, because this year has had devastating impacts on many people for many reasons. Yet I also see some bright spots coming out of this that I think will help positively shape our industry (at home and abroad) for decades to come:

• Agriculture is essential. Over the past few months, consumers worldwide have been reminded that food doesn’t simply magically appear in the stores. There

is a complex value chain that spans from producer to plate, and even when that system is taxed beyond measure our farmers and ranchers will step up to the challenges. There is a new appreciation for those who produce food. In some instances, the shift from eating at restaurants to eating at home has created the opportunity for producers to shorten the space between them and the consumer, meaning they keep a little more of the food dollar on the farm or ranch. There is also an increased awareness of what having agricultural operations in local communities mean.

From an economic and workforce standpoint, our farms and ranches are critical businesses and we cannot overlook their importance. Jobs and dollars that are directly connected to production agriculture flow through small towns and big cities alike – which makes them very important lifelines for community members during times of challenge like this.

• We’re in the relationship business. Friends who farm in New Zealand taught me a proverb that I will never forget. It comes from the Maori, who are the indigenous people of New Zealand. The translation to English is: “What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.” Yes, we worry about production and markets and weather every day – but the reality is much of what we do has a human

connection. The farmers and ranchers I know are active with local agriculture organizations. They quietly volunteer and serve as leaders in the community. They work daily with external partners and vendors. They try to manage landlord relationships and succession planning. And they try to understand and engage with the consumer. Yes, my friends, we are all in the people business.

Right now, we are in a moment where those relationships and the connections we have to people off the farm and ranch are more difficult to manage, but potentially more important than ever before. I gripe a bit about Zoom and video meetings, but I can also tell you I’ve gotten to meet more people I need to know and work with the past three months than I’d have ever been able to get to in person. This moment in time is one that is allowing us to reconnect a little deeper with the people we rely on, and in some instances it is letting us develop new networks that can help us survive today and thrive in the future. It sounds cliché, but the people around us matter – and we matter to them.

• Consumers are loving local. Whether buying at a farmers market, purchasing products at a farm stand or store, or looking for the GO TEXAN Logo, consumers are rediscovering the joys of eating fresh and eating local. Given the diversity and abundance of what is produced in Texas, along with the wide array of partners and products in the GO TEXAN program, we are making it easier for consumers to support local farmers, ranchers, and businesses – and they are supporting us with their engagement and their purchases. It’s a silver lining that I hope goes on and grows on.

• Many markets, one pandemic. While I can’t travel to any countries right now, thanks to technology I am in many overseas markets each week to hear from agriculture and food experts there. What is amazing to me is how they are all pretty much saying the same thing: the market is changing and some of those changes are anticipated to be permanent. People are shopping differently (online and retail purchases are growing), which has the potential to open up new markets and new pathways to promote Texas commodities and products around the world. This is a time to evaluate (and re-evaluate) how and where we can be a global player – and find new ways to help consumers everywhere connect with Texas products and the people who produce them.

It may seem weird to say how optimistic I am about the global potential for Texas agriculture, but this belief is supported by the final silver lining I want to share. There is no more “how we’ve always done it”. Because there is no ‘normal’ right now, we have the time and space to be creative in how we develop partnerships around the world and promote Texas agriculture. We can be bold and ambitious and work to bring the industry together with a focus on how to grow globally. We can spend some valuable time getting to know each other in the industry and discovering what each sector of Texas agriculture wants to focus on from an international perspective.

I’ll be the first to admit that Zoom calls and webinars was not how I thought I’d spend my days. But because that is how the near term is playing out, there is a gift in this to truly partner with the industry to help develop an international marketing foundation that will help see us through not just this storm, but all the ones we may face – together – in the future.

No. It’s not quite what I thought it would be right now. But, as it turns out, I really DID pick one heck of a time to get a job focusing on international agricultural trade!