Ashley Davenport started as the brand marketing communications manager for AgReliant Genetics in June 2023.
Davenport graduated from Goshen College in Indiana with a bachelor's degree in broadcast in 2016. She knew she wanted to be a broadcaster when she was a child.
“While in college, I worked as an associate producer at the ABC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana,” Davenport said. “Before that, I gained experience anchoring and reporting for the Goshen College TV station and working as the program director and morning show host for the radio station.”
Her first full-time job was with Farm Journal Broadcast. Throughout her time there, Davenport gained valuable experience in a variety of areas.
“I worked on Ag Day and U.S. Farm Report, and I produced AgriTalk with Chip Flory,” Davenport said. “I also wrote for AgWeb.com. I had a lot of great experiences at that job, and I still keep in touch with that team of coworkers today.”
During this time, she attended Purdue University and graduated with a master’s in strategic communication with a focus in public relations in May 2019.
Later, she transitioned to a position with Michigan Ag Today (MAT) as the farm director.
“I was looking to relocate to Michigan, and I shifted from behind the scenes to being the farm director for MAT and being on the mic,” Davenport said. “I was covering agriculture in the whole state, which is diverse. I had the opportunity to learn about specialty crops and sugarbeets while gaining more in-depth knowledge on commodity markets.”
She produced shows, completed interviews, and launched the Michigan Ag Today podcast. Davenport decided to lean into her graduate degree and changed the direction of her career. She started at AgReliant Genetics in 2022 as a communication program manager.
“I supported internal communication functions for our business units, such as research, sales, agronomy, and marketing,” Davenport said. “I was relaying company strategy through developing messaging, bringing departments together through different channels, and supporting company meetings and PR opportunities.”
Her latest role at AgReliant Genetics focuses more on external communications.
“In this expanded role, I am still doing internal communications, but I get to play a bigger role executing media relations strategies and content development for our two seed brands, LG Seeds and AgriGold,” Davenport said. “What’s great about this position is that I still get to connect with many farm broadcasting friends and colleagues.”
She and her teammates plan internal events such as sales and departmental meetings. Davenport also organizes external events like NAFB Trade Talk and Commodity Classic. This summer, she will also be supervising an intern.
“I’m really excited to teach our intern about marketing, communications, and agriculture and building a professional network,” Davenport said.
Her favorite part of the new job is the people with whom she works.
“I truly love my team, and I have an excellent manager who is an amazing leader,” Davenport said. “I also love connecting with my farm-broadcaster friends at events, so I get the best of both worlds. I couldn’t ask for a better team or a better position.”
