Mary Jane Buerkle, Haskell Drug Store, Inc. co-owner, may no longer work directly in the ag communications world, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to advocate for the industry.
Having a more well-rounded experience in all areas of communications was important to Buerkle, and NAFB honored this aspect of her career with an honorary membership.
“I got involved in agricultural communications by doing agricultural news for our local radio station. I then began working for the Lubbock Avalanche- Journal as a reporter. This job taught me to have great attention to detail,” Buerkle said.
In 2004, Buerkle began her career at the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, where she worked for six years. Although Buerkle was not technically working in agriculture, she still was able to help out within the industry.
“You don’t have to be working in agriculture to make a big impact. Sometimes those that aren’t directly related to agriculture can make the biggest impact, because we get to share our knowledge,” Buerkle explained.
Buerkle soon made her journey back to the agriculture community when she decided to make the move to Plains Cotton Growers, where she worked as the director of communications & public affairs.
“I met the people that I worked for at Plains Cotton Growers when I was still working for the local newspaper. Everything in my career has somehow been intertwined in some way,” Buerkle said.
Even if Buerkle’s job title might not include agriculture, she is involved and advocates for agriculture in all she does.
