Ashley Craft didn't grow up on a farm and never imagined a career in agriculture.
"I originally went off to the University of Missouri thinking that I was going to one day work in New York for a magazine," Craft said.
That changed after a friend invited her to visit her family's farm near Marceline, Missouri.
"As somebody who grew up in Topeka, Kansas, I just admitted that the food came from the grocery store and nothing more," she said. "We did not have any family ties to farming or ranching."
The experience sparked a curiosity that led Craft to change her major from journalism to agricultural journalism.
"It wasn't just me learning along the way," she said. "I was taking it back to my friends and family that didn't have this kind of background either."
After earning her degree from the University of Missouri in 2014, Craft began building a career in agricultural communications. She worked in public relations, earned a master's degree in agricultural education, communications and leadership, and gained experience in broadcasting with KMZU in Carrollton, Missouri.
"It opened my eyes to what life is like for broadcasters," Craft said. "You're really just boots on the ground out there getting to know everybody."
Craft later worked in communications roles at the University of Missouri and on the agency side of agricultural marketing before an unexpected career shift in 2023.
After layoffs affected her agency, she began building her own business while applying for full-time jobs.
"I took some lemons and made some lemonade, as I like to say," she said.
Today, Craft operates Crafted Communications, providing strategic planning, public relations, social media management and writing services for agricultural clients across the Midwest.
The business has also inspired her to create Crafted Connections, a free networking and educational community for freelancers.
"It's just really a place that we can lift each other up and help each other grow," she said.
Craft's connection to NAFB dates back to her college years as a student member. Since then, she has been involved as both a broadcaster and an allied industry member. Today, she serves as NAFB's Allied Industry Representative.
Looking ahead, Craft is excited about what's next.
"The business, I feel, is just getting started," she said.
No matter where her career leads, she remains committed to the mission that first drew her to agriculture.
"I still hold on to that same mission of really wanting to help consumers understand where their food comes from," Craft said, "and give back to the farmers, ranchers, producers and gardeners who give so much to make this world go around."
