Today we’d like to introduce you to Katelyn Parsons.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Katelyn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up on my family’s farm in Hadley, Massachusetts. When I graduated high school, I knew that I wanted to tell agriculture’s story to the public so I decided to major in agricultural communications and attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. While in school, I learned useful skills and interned with many companies including The Big E, Farm Credit East, the American Royal and more. All of these experiences helped me land a job out of college with the U.S. Grains Council in 2013 as their membership and communications coordinator.
The U.S. Grains Council promotes the exports of U.S. corn, sorghum, barley and related co-products, including ethanol and DDGS. I was quickly promoted to manager of communications within the organization. In this role, my primary responsibilities included the weekly HTML newsletter, social media, press releases and more. While I enjoyed the job, after three years in Washington, D.C., I decided the city life was not for me and started actively job searching. Much to my luck and delight, a job was open at Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation as the Director of Marketing and Membership.
In this role, I give the County Farm Bureaus the strategies to retain and recruit members, as well as, act as the liaison to the young farmer & rancher committee and provide marketing support to the organization by running the social media, handling media relations, writing press releases and more. In addition to working full time, I freelance for a few organizations, including the U.S. Grains Council, Lancaster Farming newspaper, and the Maple-News. I also serve on the American Hampshire Sheep Association board of directors as District 8 director.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. Coming from a farm, it was difficult to get used to working in an office. I’ve definitely had to adjust to office life, especially Air Conditioning. I can’t tell you the number of times I had to turn on the heat in the office during the summer since I was frozen. Also getting used to being inside all the time has taken some getting used to.
Additionally, it was a challenge learning to navigate a city. While I now live and work in a suburb, I’m glad I had the experience of taking public transportation to work every day and finding out that I can take care of myself in an urban environment. One of my unexpected challenges has been learning that I am a leader even if I am not in a formal leadership role. I find informal leadership to be fascinating. People listen to others who are not necessarily in a position for a number of reasons. For me personally, I found my calling to be in being an expert. I like to learn how an organization functions and become invaluable to the organization. However, as I am very young in my career, it has taken some getting used to and I’ve come to realize my every action is being watched. This influential power is a serious task that can sometimes be daunting.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
So I’m going to answer this on multiple levels:
The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation is the largest general farm organization in the Commonwealth. it lobbies on behalf of farmers, as directed by them. I am proud of my organization as it helps to make positive changes for farmers in the Commonwealth. I am also proud of this organization for forming a young farmer committee and working to make it active and effective. I want to mention here that MFBF has a consumer membership, where those interested in supporting local farmers can join our organization for $25 a year. This support helps show our legislators the importance of Massachusetts farmers. Those interested in joining can do so online at mfbf.net.
When discussing my freelance business, I write press releases, feature stories and collect and edit video. In this aspect of my life, I’m proud of the success my freelancing has experienced. When I get a cold call asking if I would write for a publication, I am flattered (and it has happened). What sets me apart is my specialization in communicating specialized topics, such as agriculture, to a broad audience. I’m the cat’s meow of communications.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
While I did not get my start in Boston, I do believe a city is a great place for people to start – even those who grew in the country. I really had an eye-opening experience in Washington, D.C., and traveled to many cities that I never would’ve if I had stayed in small town USA.
By starting in D.C. I was able to develop and cultivate contacts that have been useful in my career. As such, I recommend city living to anyone looking to start.
Pricing:
- Friend membership in MFBF is $25 annually
- Farmer membership in MFBF is $225 annually
- My freelance rates vary. Please call for more information.
Contact Info:
- Address: 249 Lakeside Ave
Marlborough, MA 01752 - Website: www.mfbf.net
- Phone: 508-481-4766
- Email: info@mfbf.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MAFarmBureau/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mafarmbureau/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/MAFarmBureauYFR/
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