Commodity boards have a communications problem most brands don't face: you're promoting a category, not a product.
There's no logo on a pork chop. No brand name on a bushel of soybeans. When consumers choose beef over chicken, no single producer wins. Everyone in the industry benefits — or suffers — together.
This changes how public relations works. The strategies that build brand equity for consumer products don't translate directly to commodity promotion. Agricultural PR requires a different approach.
This guide explains what commodity boards should look for in a PR partner — and what to avoid.
Why Commodity Boards Need Specialized PR
General PR agencies struggle with agricultural accounts for predictable reasons:
Category vs. Brand
Most PR professionals build careers promoting brands. They know how to position a product against competitors, craft brand narratives, and generate coverage that drives preference for one option over another.
Commodity PR is different. You're not competing against other beef producers — you're competing against chicken, pork, plant-based alternatives, and consumer indifference. The goal isn't market share within a category; it's growing the category itself.
Agencies without commodity experience often default to brand tactics that miss this distinction.
Producer and Consumer Audiences
Commodity boards serve two audiences with different needs:
Producers fund the checkoff and expect accountability. They want to see their assessment dollars working — driving demand, opening markets, defending the industry against attacks.
Consumers are the ultimate target. Their purchase decisions determine whether demand grows or shrinks. Reaching them requires understanding how they think about food — which often differs dramatically from how producers think about it.
Effective agricultural PR speaks credibly to both audiences. Agencies that only understand consumer marketing miss the producer dimension. Agencies that only understand agriculture miss consumer dynamics.
Regulatory Complexity
Commodity promotion operates within regulatory frameworks that constrain messaging. USDA oversight of checkoff programs means certain claims require substantiation. Health claims trigger FDA scrutiny. Environmental claims invite activist attention.
Agricultural PR agencies understand these constraints. General agencies may propose campaigns that sound great but can't survive legal review.
Crisis Vulnerability
Agricultural commodities face crisis risks that branded products don't:
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Food safety incidents affect entire categories, not just one brand
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Activist campaigns target production practices industry-wide
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Trade disputes can close export markets overnight
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Weather and disease events disrupt supply chains
When crisis hits, commodity boards need PR partners who understand agricultural operations, have relationships with agricultural media, and can respond without making things worse.
What Agricultural PR Actually Involves
For commodity boards, PR goes beyond press releases and media pitches. Effective agricultural PR programs include:
Media Relations
Building relationships with journalists who cover food, agriculture, nutrition, and trade. This includes:
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Consumer media: Food editors, lifestyle journalists, health reporters
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Trade media: Agricultural publications, industry newsletters, commodity-specific outlets
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Business media: Reporters covering agricultural economics, trade policy, commodity markets
Different messages for different outlets. What resonates with a food editor differs from what matters to a farm broadcaster.
Thought Leadership
Positioning commodity board leadership and industry experts as credible voices on relevant topics:
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Bylined articles in trade and consumer publications
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Expert commentary on industry trends
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Speaking opportunities at conferences and events
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Podcast and broadcast appearances
Thought leadership builds credibility that advertising can't buy.
Issues Management
Proactively addressing issues before they become crises:
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Monitoring for emerging concerns (social media, activist activity, regulatory signals)
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Developing messaging and materials for anticipated challenges
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Building relationships with stakeholders who matter during controversy
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Preparing spokespeople to address difficult questions
The best crisis response is preventing crises in the first place.
Crisis Communications
When issues escalate, managing response effectively:
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Rapid response protocols and materials
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Media training for spokespeople
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Stakeholder communication (producers, buyers, policymakers)
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Monitoring and adapting as situations evolve
Crisis communications requires experience. Agencies without agricultural crisis experience may panic, over-respond, or miss the nuances that matter.
Consumer Communications
Building positive perceptions among end consumers:
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Recipe and culinary content development
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Influencer and chef partnerships
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Nutrition and health messaging
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Sustainability storytelling
Consumer communications must connect to what consumers actually care about — which often differs from producer priorities.
Trade and Export Support
Supporting international market development:
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Trade mission preparation and media outreach
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In-market PR in export destinations
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Trade media relations
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Buyer and importer communications
Export markets increasingly matter for commodity boards. PR should support trade development, not just domestic awareness.
What to Look For in an Agricultural PR Agency
Genuine Agricultural Experience
Ask specifically about commodity board experience. How many commodity accounts have they handled? Which commodities? What results can they demonstrate?
General food experience doesn't equal agricultural experience. An agency that's promoted snack brands and restaurant chains may not understand checkoff dynamics, producer relations, or commodity-specific challenges.
Understanding of Producer Audiences
Can they communicate credibly with farmers and ranchers? Do they understand producer concerns? Have they worked with agricultural media and farm broadcasters?
Agencies that only understand consumer marketing will struggle with the producer dimension of commodity board work.
Research Integration
The best agricultural PR is informed by research. How do they use consumer insight to shape messaging? Do they test claims before campaigns launch? Can they help you understand what's actually driving consumer perceptions?
PR without research is guesswork. Research-informed PR is strategy.
Media Relationships That Matter
Where do they have relationships? Consumer food media? Agricultural trade publications? Business and policy journalists?
Ask for examples of coverage they've secured for similar clients. The ability to get a commodity story into mainstream media is different from placing a product announcement in a trade publication.
Crisis Experience
Have they managed agricultural crises? Food safety incidents? Activist campaigns? Trade disruptions?
Crisis communications is a specialty. Agencies without crisis experience may do more harm than good when something goes wrong.
Measurement Approach
How do they demonstrate results? Clip counts and impressions are vanity metrics. Look for agencies that can connect PR activity to meaningful outcomes — awareness shifts, message penetration, stakeholder perception change.
What to Avoid
Agencies That Treat Agriculture as a Vertical
Some agencies list agriculture as one of twenty industries they serve. That's a red flag. If agriculture is 5% of their business, you're not getting specialized expertise.
Consumer-Only Thinking
Agencies that focus exclusively on consumer PR miss the producer dimension. Commodity boards need partners who understand that checkoff-funded communications must work for producers and consumers.
Unfamiliarity with Regulatory Constraints
If they propose campaigns without asking about substantiation requirements, legal review processes, or USDA oversight, they may not understand commodity board constraints.
No Crisis Capability
PR is partly about managing risk. Agencies without crisis experience leave you exposed when problems emerge.
Volume Over Value
Beware agencies that promise massive coverage volumes. A thousand low-quality mentions matter less than ten stories in outlets your stakeholders actually read.
The Relationship Between PR and Marketing
PR and marketing are distinct but connected disciplines. For commodity boards, they should work together:
PR Builds Credibility
Earned media carries credibility that advertising lacks. When a nutrition expert recommends your commodity or a food editor features it in a recipe roundup, that endorsement has weight that paid placement doesn't.
Marketing Builds Reach
Advertising can reach audiences at scale with controlled messaging. PR can't guarantee placement or message.
Integrated Approach
The best outcomes come from integration. PR and advertising telling the same story, reinforcing the same messages, reaching consumers through multiple channels.
When evaluating PR agencies, ask how they work with marketing partners. Agencies that operate in isolation may miss opportunities for integration.
Working with an Agricultural PR Agency
Define Success Clearly
What does success look like? Awareness among consumers? Perception shift on a specific issue? Coverage in target outlets? Support for a trade mission?
Vague objectives lead to vague results. Define success before the engagement begins.
Share Research
Give your agency access to consumer research, tracking studies, and market intelligence. The more they understand your audiences, the more effective their work.
Include Them in Strategy
PR works best when integrated into broader strategy. Include your agency in planning discussions, not just execution tasks.
Prepare for Crisis
Don't wait for a crisis to develop response protocols. Work with your agency proactively to prepare materials, train spokespeople, and establish response procedures.
Measure and Adjust
Establish measurement frameworks at the start. Review results regularly. Adjust tactics based on what's working.
The Bottom Line
Agricultural PR for commodity boards requires specialized expertise that general PR agencies often lack. The right partner understands:
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Category promotion vs. brand building
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Producer and consumer audiences
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Regulatory and oversight constraints
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Agricultural media landscape
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Crisis risks specific to commodities
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How PR connects to broader marketing strategy
Take time to evaluate potential partners carefully. The agencies that understand agriculture will ask different questions, propose different strategies, and deliver different results than those treating agriculture as just another vertical.
Related reading:
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[Top Agricultural Marketing Agencies in North America [2026]](/insights/top-agricultural-marketing-agencies-2026)
