Club members expand concepts of cuisine
Most people enjoy eating, but for those involved in agribusiness, other aspects of food have a greater significance.
Agribusiness is a career which deals more with the business side of agriculture, from selling farm equipment to distributing Idaho potatoes. Utah State University offers a unique opportunity for Aggies looking to get involved in agribusiness.
The Agribusiness Club has participated in competitions all over the nation. Paul Urzagaste, a graduate student studying plant science, said they competed in the Western Collegiate Marketing Competition in Fresno, Calif., where they were awarded first place for product most likely to succeed and third in the overall competition for a marketing plan they developed for a new product called “yogonnaise.”
The Agribusiness Club also attended the Food Distribution Research Society Marketing Competition, where they competed against universities such as Texas A&M and the California Polytechnic Institute. The Agribusiness Club placed third nationwide in this competition.
“We try to offer those real life opportunities to students where they can practice what they learn in classes,” said Urzagaste. “This is a great opportunity to develop those skills.”
Trevor Knudsen, a senior majoring in international agricultural business, said it has given him a chance to realize how skills learned in the classroom can be applied.
“It’s a chance to get some hands-on experience,” he said.
The Agribusiness Club gives students the opportunity to go out and compete in order to practice those classroom skills. Urzagaste said there are two types of competitions – one which allows students to create their own product and another which allows students to help a company with a problem they are having.
During a competition in Portland, Ore., the Agribusiness Club worked with the company Tillamook. The company was looking for a way to expand their market and Utah State did well enough to make it to the final three presentations.
“It was the real deal,” Urzagaste said. “We are representing the university, so we’d better do a good job. It’s challenging also because you have a deadline you have to fulfill and so sometimes it’s a little bit stressful.”
These competitions are done through the The Food Distribution Research Society and competitions are held annually.
Emma Shoaf, a senior majoring in agribusiness, said about a month before the competition takes place, the FDRS emails each team with a clue about the industry or about the type of marketing to be done. Once they arrive at the competition, a company such as Tillamook will come in and present the product or the marketing they want help with. After the presentation, each group is given time to ask the company questions. Then it’s six hours of marketing plan development.
After the plan is developed,
each group has a chance to present. The top three teams are chosen to present to the company representative. The representative then chooses the top team.
“It’s a little scary, but it’s fun and exhilarating,” Knudsen said.
During the Western Collegiate Marketing competition in Fresno, Calif., the Agribusiness Club presented a marketing plan for a product being developed at Utah State called yogonnaise, a yogurt based mayonnaise.
“I like how different it is,” Shoaf said. “The competition is unpredictable. It really challenges you.”
The Agribusiness Club traveled to Puerto Rico to participate in the FDRS competition, this time marketing green bananas.
“In Puerto Rico, green bananas are a popular item but it’s really time consuming and messy to prepare,” Knudsen said.
The company was looking for a way to expand their market to the United States, and the Agribusiness Club formed a marketing strategy that placed them in the top three teams.
The Agribusiness Club is open to any major. For students looking to get more involved with agribusiness, Shoaf said to contact any member of the club.
“Come to a meeting,” she said. “It’s a really small club, so we are super casual. There is a lot of opportunity.”
– carli@jdsco.com