Dr. Michael Seipel
3082 Magruder Hall
785-4316 (Office)
mseipel@truman.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course examines the structure of agricultural input and food markets in the United States and explores the functional stages and strategies associated with marketing food and fiber products.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
- To provide students with an understanding of the structural characteristics of the U.S. agri-food marketing system and its linkages to international markets.
- To familiarize students with the functions and strategies associated with the marketing of agricultural and food products.
- To give students an appreciation for the practical issues and situations involved with marketing and an opportunity to formulate strategies to deal with particular situations in a case study format.
Richard L. Kohls and Joseph N. Uhl. Marketing of Agricultural Products. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 8th edition, 1998.
COURSE FORMAT AND BASIS FOR STUDENT EVALUATION
The course will be based on reading and discussion of the course text, lectures, and supplementary materials. Major assignments for the semester include three in-class exams, a final exam, a paper, and a market research project, to be completed as a group project. Because students will learn more from discussions with other class members than from just reading the text, attendance at and participation in class meetings is essential.
Paper One: From Seed to Shelf—Tracing the Market Path of a Food Product
Most consumers never realize (or even stop to think about) the many miles and myriad of processing stages that a raw farm commodity travels to reach their local supermarket or restaurant kitchen. You, however, in this paper, will be forced to think about those very things. You will take a specific retail food product and trace its market path, from where it is produced, to how it is processed, transported, advertised, and so on, until it reaches the final consumer.
Market Research Project
An important part of the marketing process is the market research that takes place “behind the scenes”, to help marketers more precisely identify consumer preferences and willingness to pay for product innovations. You will gain first-hand experience with market research for a locally-produced agricultural product, by reviewing past market research for similar products, designing a consumer survey, hopefully administering that survey to potential consumers, and writing up your findings. This will be undertaken as a group project, and will be discussed more fully in class.
Possible points for the course are as follows:
| Item | Points Possible | Pct. Of Final Grade |
| In-class Exams (3) | 300 | 43% |
| Final Exam | 150 | 21% |
| Papers (2) | 100 | 14% |
| Market Research Project | 100 | 14% |
| Discussion and Class Participation | 50 | 7% |
All deadlines and examination dates must be met unless you make prior arrangements with the instructor and have a valid excuse from the Dean of Students.
COURSE OUTLINE
Week | Topic | Readings | Due |
1 | Introduction to Marketing Approaches to Studying Marketing | Chapter 1 Chapter 2 | |
2 | What makes agricultural marketing different? | Chapter 3 | |
3 | Food Markets & Institutions | Chapter 4 | |
4 | The 4 Ps of Marketing | Chapter 5 (pp. 79-83) | Exam 1 |
5 | Food Processing/Manufacturing | Chapter 5 | |
6 | Wholesaling and Retailing | Chapter 6 | |
7 | Advertising and Market Development | Chapter 14 | Paper 1 Due |
8 | Transportation and Storage | Chapter 18 and 19 | Exam 2 |
9 | Marketing Research Basics | Handouts | |
10 | Marketing Research (continued) | ||
11 | Direct Marketing Strategies | Handouts | |
12 | The Marketing Plan | Handouts | |
13 | Farmer-Owned Cooperatives | Chapter 13 | |
14 | Thanksgiving Break | Exam 3 | |
15 | Livestock Marketing Grain Marketing | Chapter 23 Chapter 26 | |
16 | Project Presentations | Final Exam |