Master Marketer program slated for Abilene
Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, [email protected]
Contact: Bill Thompson, 325-653-4576, [email protected]
ABILENE – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct the 2016 Master Marketer Program beginning in January.
The four-part series, preceded by an optional leveling workshop, will be conducted at the Texas Education Agency Region 14 Education Service Center, 1850 State Highway 351 in Abilene.
The Master Marketer program is an intensive 64-plus hour workshop stretching over eight weeks, said Bill Thompson, AgriLife Extension economist at San Angelo. Thompson is responsible for bringing the program to West Central Texas.
“This program typically rotates between the Panhandle and North Texas areas, so I’m pleased we are again able to bring this workshop to ag producers in our part of Texas,” Thompson said.
“The program focuses on increasing the understanding of key agricultural marketing concepts with the goal being to equip participants with the tools needed to develop a marketing plan and sound marketing practices, and to increase their use of the basic tools of market analysis. The bottom line of the series is to increase each of the participant’s gross farm revenue by 2.5 to 5 percent.”
The series starts with the optional “leveling” workshop on Jan.19 for those who feel they need a little extra tutoring to get up to speed on the curriculum, Thompson said.
The four primary sessions participants are urged to attend in their entirety will be:
– Session I, Jan. 20- 21, Review of Market Basics, Budgets, Breakevens, Financials, Seasonality and the Importance of a Marketing Plan.
– Session II, Feb. 4- 5, Grain and Livestock Fundamentals and Crop Insurance.
– Session III, Feb. 17- 18, Technical Analysis and Cotton Fundamentals.
– Session IV, March 2- 3, Weather, Livestock, Legal Issues and Tying It All Together.
“Day one of each session will begin at 9 a.m. to allow people a little time to drive in, but we will work well into the evening to around 8 p.m.,” Thompson said. “Day two of each session will begin at 8 a.m., and we will wrap-up at 4 p.m.”
Individual registration for the entire program is $350. Registration will be accepted for up to 60 participants or until Jan.11. Thompson stressed that the quality of the program far exceeds the cost to producers.
“We have tremendous buy-in from industry and the commodity associations,” Thompson said. “Through their continued support, we are able to keep the registration fees low.”
Interested producers are encouraged to contact their local AgriLife Extension office for more information about registration, or go to: http://bit.ly/S77qSJ .
“In the 21 years since the Master Marketer Program has been in existence, it has evolved into one of the premier marketing programs in the nation. And this marks only the third time we’ve held it in our part of the state, so I urge producers, regardless of the commodity they produce, to take advantage of this truly unique opportunity,” Thompson said.
