Expanding agriculture. (NAMA Leader's Message).

My dad grew up on a crop and livestock farm in one of the poorest counties in Missouri. He went to a one-room schoolhouse and I'm sure he would tell you he walked up hill both ways. (The last part has yet to be verified.) His definition of farming then was very different than what he calls agriculture today.

Now, mechanization and mass communication have changed the way he farms. My dad and mom frequent the information superhighway almost daily. They investigate how South American activities impact corn prices, the Farm Bill changes income expectations and European beef scares affect the cattle market.

Dad's vision of farming has expanded a great deal from his childhood. Have those of us in agrimarketing expanded our vision?

At the Ag Publications Summit in July I spoke with many of you from the client, agency, media and editorial side. Our conversations often started out on a high note and then went down to the inevitable changes occurring in ag. From company mergers to grower consolidation and a weak economy to reduced communication budgets, the impacts are hitting us all. I know it's tough, but we do have options. We can look at our industry as shrinking and collapsing or we can challenge ourselves to find the opportunities where our industry is expanding.

This year's Agribusiness Forum is about just that-the expansion of agriculture. John Sowell, Lorie North, Jamie Greenheck and Carol Anderson have put together a top-notch program on how agriculture is expanding. Not an expansion of size, but an expansion of scope. Today's business climate has caused traditional agriculture to interact and blend with industry levels closer to the consumer. Marketers who traditionally worked on production inputs are now challenged with communicating to food, fiber, companion animal, turf, ornamental and lifestyle audiences. This agricultural expansion presents unique challenges and opportunities to us as marketing professionals.

The first step in overcoming challenges is to acknowledge the situation and investigate the factors involved. The Agribusiness Forum program this year is designed to allow us as agrimarketers to discuss and explore issues facing our expanding industry. From differential pricing to consumer expectations, the case study style approach with panel discussions will provide a chance to explore our changing industry and identify expansion opportunities. I look forward to seeing you as we expand our industry at this year's Agribusiness Forum Wednesday, Oct. 9--Thursday, Oct. 10 in Kansas City. Besides, if a guy who grew without tractors like my dad can expand his view of agriculture, can't the rest of us?