With roots in Los Angeles, a long previous career in the fashion industry and years with scant awareness of food production, Marie Wallingford is not your typical agriculture advocate.

The customer relations manager for the ag-focused Peterson Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Nampa, Idaho, she serves on the state’s Agriculture in the Classroom board and FFA scholarship review panel.

Wallingford “looks for every opportunity to promote and advocate for agriculture,” said Rick Waitley, who directs Ag in the Classroom, Food Producers of Idaho and Leadership Idaho Agriculture. “Seldom do you find someone outside of the ag family that is as passionate as Marie about farmers, ranchers and the industry.”

And she “never lets an opportunity pass when she can tell someone the story of agriculture, where food comes from and the exciting careers that are in the industry,” Waitley said.

The vehicle dealership belongs to industrywide programs tailored to farmers and ranchers. Wallingford serves on the dealer advisory board of the industry’s certified agriculture dealership program.

The dealership supports student agriculture education and teachers through programs she developed and built over her 13 years on the job.

“I knew nothing about agriculture when I started in this position,” Wallingford said.

She moved from Southern California to southwest Idaho in 2010 for a lifestyle change. She didn’t know how her 18-year career selling lingerie would suit the local job market, but she took a chance on an interesting position Peterson was advertising.

In the job announcement, general manager Mert Logue gave the phone number of the reception desk rather than a decision maker.

“Marie stood out as being kind to the receptionist, not rushed or short or abrupt,” he said.

Wallingford said that in her previous career, she enjoyed connecting with a variety of customers as well as people in many different professional roles.

“I love people,” she said.

And while her old and new jobs were “night and day,” said Wallingford, 66, “I loved the change. It was a challenge.”

Though she had to get used to selling a “need” after many years selling a “want,” she immediately took to the vehicle dealership and its customers.

Wallingford had taken the job during a recession, through which farmers and ranchers survived and thrived.

“It opened my eyes to how dedicated they are and how hard they work,” she said.

“Ag is the backbone of Idaho,” Wallingford said.

At the dealership, she started a program that pays for teachers’ classroom supplies. She soon repositioned it to take on bigger, more expensive needs such as those found in agriculture classrooms.

“There was a really big need with FFA teachers,” Wallingford said.

“I try to stay involved in educating our youth,” she said. “These are our future leaders. We need to make sure they have the tools and equipment to succeed not only in agriculture, but in life.”

She has been instrumental in the growth of Peterson’s farm and ranch segment and in the dealership’s support of ag education, Logue, the manager, said.

“She has been doing a lot of things that have put us at the next level,” he said.

Wallingford lives in Nampa. She and her husband have three grown children and eight grandchildren.