Transforming Agriculture with Agri Studies

One recent observation I’ve made in working with both sales and marketing teams is there isn’t always understanding or alignment with respect to what each group is doing. Clearly, each group plays an important role in the carrying out the company’s objectives, but those roles often seem very different and, at times, disjointed.

As marketing managers know, creating an integrated and cohesive marketing strategy has many moving parts. They must continually examine where they are and where they need to be, while trying to efficiently and effectively allocate limited resources across multiple functions related to the marketing plan.

Having taught marketing strategy for over 18 years, it has become apparent that even the most experienced marketers still struggle with how to effectively price their products and services. Pricing is one of the more strategic decisions a company can make; however, it is often treated as a tactic.

In an industry where family values and passion are the driving forces behind the productivity and fortitude of American agriculture, responsibilities tend to be passed down from generation to generation. This tradition has been a typical standard both on the farm and in family agribusinesses, but one special instance lies in academia and professional development tailored to agribusiness in the Funk and Downey families.

It’s easy to assume that today’s farmer is bombarded with salespeople trying to get them to buy products for the farm. After all, buying farm products, inputs in particular, is very predictable. In the fall farmers will begin purchasing seed for next year, then book fertilizer, and chemical, etc. This differs from livestock farmers that have to buy feed all year round – it’s not a discretionary purchase.