NMSU Marketing Class Wins National Competition

Date:  Feb. 10, 1997
Editor: D'Lyn Ford  (505) 646-6528, dlford@nmsu.edu

LAS CRUCES -- Winning a national marketing competition is hard. Doing it by selling fresh green beans in a pinto bean town is harder. But that's exactly what a group of New Mexico State University agricultural marketing students did.

The Green Bean Team, as members of assistant professor Cynda Clary's agricultural economics 305 class (marketing and pricing agricultural products) became known, won a competition sponsored by Asgrow Seed Company -- and a check for $2,500.

"I was really excited because these students didn't have extensive marketing experience, so they had to learn by doing," Clary said. "They found they knew more than they thought and did a great job. They represented the university and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences well."

The objective of the students' marketing campaign was to promote the sale of fresh green beans at both the Smith's and Albertson's grocery stores in Las Cruces.

By improving packaging, emphasizing the ease in preparation with cooking demonstrations, and giving away prizes, the students increased green bean sales from about 100 pounds to 400 pounds in one week.

A key marketing strategy involved packaging the green beans in convenient one-pound bags labeled with nutrition information and serving suggestions.

"It was a lot of fun, but hard work," said Claudia Salopek, who is majoring in agricultural marketing/sales and farm and ranch business. "We learned a lot and had the chance to work as a team."

Kirby Chacon, agribusiness major, agreed. "I learned things you can't learn from a book. I had practical, hands-on experience," he said.

The team beat out the University of Florida for the national honor. The University of Wisconsin-River Falls placed third.

The prize money will go to NMSU's National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) to help fund its spring marketing team's trip to Nashville, Tenn. The first-prize check will be mailed to the team this month by Asgrow Seed Company.

The team was formally recognized and thanked by NAMA at its first January meeting and awarded green pens with members' names and year engraved on them.