Apply Magazine / November 1, 2002

Taking on the Role of Teacher

Associations See Increasing Value in Tackling Online Learning Programs for Complex Industry-Wide Issues

Like it or not, the phrases "back to school" or "continuing education" are being heard with more frequency in U.S. agriculture, especially at trade associations and organizations serving the agribusiness industry.

Organizations such as Crop Life America, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and others increasingly see education, specifically Web-based training, of growers and professionals serving agribusiness as a key piece of their mission for the next decade. Why? The reasons vary, but at the core for some is recognition that continuing education shows value to membership and helps protect the integrity of the industry they serve.

Tom Slunecka, director of industry relations for the NCGA [www.ncga.com], manages biotechnology issues for the organization and said they are focusing more energy on education because of the looming compliance requirements with issues such as biotechnology.

"In a global market, it's a fact of life that additional compliance issues for industry and growers are coming," Slunecka said. "Increasingly, that has put us in the position of needing to offer education to growers and the industry on how to best manage compliance issues."

Slunecka said the NCGA is using web-based education proactively to work toward ensuring that growers have a voice at the table so that when regulation decisions are made, they are both productive and actionable in U.S. agriculture. Being an independent third party that can employ industry-wide educational strategies better positions the NCGA to provide that voice in the future.

The NCGA is not alone. In the last year, the Illinois and Iowa Corn Grower Associations launched Novecta [www.novecta.com], a company focused on conditioning the marketplace to be more oriented toward quality assurance and verification.

Chet Boruff, managing director of Novecta, LLC, said the role that organizations like his play will be important as markets become more specialized into value-added segments, replacing a commodity mindset that traditionally has driven the agribusiness industry.

"We prepare and position growers and the industry to take advantage of emerging markets that place a value on quality," Boruff said. "Quality is the future of value added. We believe investing in skills training with an emphasis on delivering a product that meets specific quality standards, will be like investing in an ethanol plant."

Verification is the key. Crop Life America, which represents developers, manufacturers, formulators and distributors of plant science solutions for agriculture and pest management in the U.S., shares the NCGA and Novecta view that verification will be the key to all education strategies in the future.

Tom Hall, director of stewardship for Crop Life America, said his organization sees a proactive approach to education in agribusiness is necessary in an environment where the demand for regulation is increasing.

"We believe it always preferable for an industry to lead by developing standards rather than wait for government to set them for you," Hall said. "In today's environment, you need to show the public that the results of your programs are measurable and verifiable.

Crop Life America member companies are looking for education solutions that allow for verification of learning so they can demonstrate that specific knowledge has been transferred to the individuals who have completed their training. Increasingly, that means going to the Web.

Delivering Web-based solutions. With the push for verification of learning has come an increased demand for online learning solutions. One company playing a large role in delivery of distance, or Web-based, learning solutions is Ag Technologies Intl (www.adayana.com/agtechintl/), a leading learning company serving companies and associations in the food and agribusiness sectors. Ag Technologies Intl president John Ahlberg said much of the draw of eLearning for their clients is its ability to be ever evolving ? with little incremental cost ? and the ability to verify results.

"It's a changing agribusiness landscape where documented responsibility will become a cost of doing business ? and that requires money," said Ahlberg. "As we deal with more complex issues, we're seeing companies and associations come together to more efficiently develop training programs that can benefit an entire industry.

That's especially true in the retail and distribution segment of agribusiness where agronomists and sales representatives are taking on more consultive roles that require deeper knowledge in specific subject areas.

"Our members are very interested and are looking very hard at how to use the Web in their business," said Crop Life America's Hall. "Not only to keep sales representatives up to date on the latest product information, but also to reach out and provide training to farmers and dealers."

The trend will continue. As industry consolidation marches on and reliance on global markets expands, continuing education will become the price of being competitive, not to mention credible, in the marketplace - no matter what segment of agribusiness a person serves. Increasingly, this growing education effort is being spearheaded by trade organizations and associations as more complex, industry-wide issues - compliance and otherwise - arise.

"To date we've been purely education-focused, but we're looking at a future where we'll need to be both education- and compliance-focused for the sake of the entire industry," Slunecka said. "That's when web-based education will truly earn its keep."

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