“After almost 37 years with John Deere, I decided to take retirement and move to the next chapter in my life,” said Barry Nelson. “I consider myself very blessed and very fortunate to have had a great career with a great company. I also have had the tremendous opportunity to make great friends outside of Deere, in the industry, the media, and with farmers and ranchers throughout the U.S. and Canada.” For those who don't know his background, Barry started his career with John Deere on February 1, 1980. “There are many in the NAFB who remember the difficult times in the ‘80s. I was a field/marketing representative in south central Illinois and worked with dealers, farmers, and Deere employees through low commodity prices, drought, and tough economic conditions.” He explained, “This was a great training ground, and I was lucky to be part of a great team that helped John Deere to grow and be more successful when the economy changed. I was a field representative/territory manager for 20 years before my next opportunity came along.” About his background, Barry said, “I was not your typical marketing rep from Deere. Although my uncle had a farm in Oneida, IL, I did not grow up on a farm. Upon graduation from college, I had an English major, with an education degree and wanted to be a basketball coach. I was a starting guard in high school and college and loved basketball!” Because of his writing and presentation skills, Barry was offered a job at Deere because they were looking for good communications people to work with dealers to promote products and services. “I was in the right place at the right time to start my career with Deere. Twenty years later, when John Deere was looking for a new public relations manager, my English/Education degree helped as did my 20 years of experience working with farmers, ranchers, dealers, and industry partners. Since I had an English major, my new supervisors felt I could probably write a news release.” He continued, “Once I became the new public relations manager for John Deere Ag in the U.S. and Canada, I knew that I had found my calling in the company. I had that job for the next 17 years.” Barry said, “I have always appreciated the great work of farm broadcasters throughout the U.S. When I was in the field working with John Deere dealers, we had many broadcasters help with Open Houses, John Deere Days, farm shows, and other special events. Our farmer customers depended on these broadcasters for news about the markets, the weather, and all issues concerning agriculture. They were a trusted source that farmers could depend on to get important information to help their farm operations.” 
Barry is an avid, amateur magician, and his magic hobby came to the rescue at an NAFB convention. “I remember that one of my early experiences at Trade Talk and the NAFB Convention was to participate in award ceremonies. When Mike Adams was NAFB president (1999) and was about to make a presentation, his PowerPoint projector failed to operate. Mike Perrine knew that I did some magic tricks and asked if I would entertain the broadcasters until Mike could get another projector. I happened to have a deck of cards and a rope trick and did a short performance of magic. Throughout the years at Trade Talk, I always had a deck of cards, and many broadcasters not only stopped by to do interviews, but also to see a card trick. My magic hobby has stood me well throughout the years.” Barry added, “I want to thank all farm broadcasters and leaders of NAFB for their friendship, professionalism, and commitment to be the voice of agriculture. This is even more important today when farmers and ranchers have less of a voice and need help to communicate to the broader urban audience the importance of agriculture and the ability to feed the growing world population.” Barry is former Chairman of the Agricultural Council of America and has been actively involved with the National Agri-Marketing Association, American Agricultural Editors Association, and Public Relations Society of America. Barry concludes, “I will miss representing John Deere at Trade Talk and working with all the media at special events, farm shows, and media events. I have been very fortunate, indeed, to have all the friends in our industry, and I hope to stay involved to help promote agriculture and the important work of U.S. farmers and ranchers.”
