News of the shooting at Virginia Tech has shocked the nation. We were deeply saddened by the loss of so many students and teachers. We have been trying to keep track of those students who were members of the Virginia Tech Student NAMA marketing team. From what we have heard, all of the student NAMA members at Virginia Tech are safe and uninjured. We are awaiting confirmation of this information from the adviser. Please continue to keep the victims, the families of the victims, as well as all students and teachers at Virginia Tech in your thoughts and prayers.

The 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference is over. We hope you took home many big ideas! If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to fill out the on-line survey at http://www.nama.org/amc/survey.htm. Your feedback will help in the planning of the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 16-18 in Kansas City!

On another note, we would like to thank all of our conference sponsors that helped to make this conference a success. We couldn’t have done it without you! For a complete listing of this year’s sponsors visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/sponsor/sponsors.htm.

If you’re interested in signing up for a sponsorship for the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City, e-mail Jenny Pickett at the NAMA office at jennyp@nama.org to convey your interest.

In addition, presentations from some of the conference sessions will be posted on the web site around the first of May.

Still thinking big about the Agri-Marketing Conference last week? Don’t let the memories of the conference fade, check out the Conference Photo Gallery at http://www.nama.org/amc/photogallery/index.htm. Special thanks to Denny Eilers, Iowa Photo Farm, Inc., for the photos!

Need some Best of NAMA photos? The Best of NAMA Photo Gallery can be found at http://www.nama.org/amc/bon/index.htm.

Still can’t get enough pictures? Check out photos by Chuck Zimmerman, ZimmComm New Media, LLC, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimmcomm/sets/72157600059994008/.

The Best of NAMA Awards Ceremony kicked off this year’s 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 11 in Dallas.The Best of NAMA awards competition recognizes excellence in creative agri-marketing communications. Companies and agencies must first qualify through regional competition in order to advance to the national level.

Entries were first judged at one of six regional levels in November and the top two entries were eligible to advance to the national judging which was held in February in Kansas City. Nearly 1,100 entries were submitted at the regional levels and 434 entries were judged at the national level.

This year’s award ceremony was emceed by Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson, WGN Radio, and award presenters were Jim Haist, Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications, and Steve Engle.

Three Best of Show awards were given in the areas of Advertising, Public Relations and Specialty categories. Below are the Best of Show winners:

Advertising
Client: National Pork Board, Clive, IA – Becca Hendricks
Agency: The Richards Group, Dallas, TX – Travis Hopper
Entry: The Other White Album

Public Relations
Client: McDonald’s Corporation, Oak Brook, IL – Tara Hayes
Agency: Morgan&Myers, and Golin Harris (Cooperative Consumer Agency), Waukesha, WI – Judy Rupnow
Entry: McDonald’s Food Quality Symposium

Specialty
Client: Nestle Purina, St. Louis, MO – Candy Caciolo
Agency: Colle+McVoy, Minneapolis, MN – Michelle Frys
Entry: Purina Pro Plan Everyday Heroes Print Campaign

Look to the AgriMarketing Magazine web site for a listing of all the winners at http://www.agrimarketing.com/nama2007front.php.

2007 Connection Point
The 2007 trade show kicked off with the DTN/The Progressive Farmer Best of NAMA Celebration reception on Wednesday, April 11. Attendees enjoyed a wine tasting and great give-a-ways in the Connection Point.

A luncheon was held in the Trade Show on Thursday, April 12. During the luncheon, several professionals were able to take time and visit with students in the mentor luncheon. Other attendees took time to stroll through the booths and sign up for another chance to win a 7″ digital picture frame.

The Thursday afternoon break in the Connection Point was a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Millennium Research and the 50th anniversary of NAMA. Attendees enjoyed cake, courtesy of Millennium Research, and ice cream, courtesy of Hoard’s Dairyman Magazine.

The closing reception, hosted by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, was a beer and nacho theme. Attendees were able to try different beers from the state of Texas while munching on nachos. In addition, attendees were able to make their final bids on items in the Silent Auction area and register for one last chance at a 7″ digital picture frame and a video iPod.

Congratulations to all the winners in the Connection Point!

Three professionals who addressed the general sessions of the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference provided valuable insights and crucial considerations for the agri-marketers in attendance.

Roy Williams, The Wizard of Ads, was the Opening General Session speaker. His topic, “The Wizard of Ads Reveals the 12 Most Common Mistakes in Advertising – and the Secret Formula for Success!” was fun and informative. Nicknamed “the Wizard of Ads” by an early client, Roy Williams and his staff have been the unseen, pivotal force in amazing come-from-behind victories in the worlds of business, politics, and finance.

Scott Deming, Scott Deming’s ESP, was the Second General Session speaker with his topic “The Brand Who Cried Wolf.” Deming is a leading authority on brand building and creating the ultimate customer experience. He led attendees through the process of turning customers into loyal fanatics with every customer becoming a brand evangelist.

Jenne Fromm, JenneInk, closed the conference with “Emotional Intelligence and the Power of You.” Fromm showed attendees how, by tapping into their emotional intelligence, they can increase their chances of success, and deal better with difficult people and circumstances. Fromm believes people should be doing more than just meeting needs. As a consultant, facilitator and teacher, she thrives on helping individuals and companies unleash their potential.

Special thanks goes to all of our speakers at this year’s conference. Initial feedback from the conference surveys tells us that the speakers this year were some of the best!

Stay tuned for the next issue of the NAMA e-News with more in-depth articles on the conference sessions.

The recipients for the Agribusiness Leader and NAMA Marketer of the Year awards were honored during the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference.

Agribusiness Leader of the Year
Dale R. Ludwig, executive director/CEO of the Missouri Soybean Association and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, was presented with the Agribusiness Leader of the Year Award, NAMA’s highest honor, at the Opening General Session of the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference in Dallas on April 12.

This award honors an outstanding leader in agribusiness, education, government service or other related areas.

Ludwig is a visionary leader with a proven record of building coalitions to improve Missouri agriculture. He helped forge producer/agribusiness partnerships that have positioned Missouri as a leader in biodiesel production. In addition, he pioneered the effort to identify new traits in soybeans through biotechnology and helped re-position the U.S. soybean commodity with competitive advantages over global competitors.

A known and trusted individual among the Missouri congressional delegation, Ludwig helped convince Congress to pass the biodiesel tax credit, a federal incentive driving biodiesel’s growth. Ludwig’s ability to work toward solutions for soybean producers distinguishes him as one of the true champions of the biodiesel effort. Ludwig’s relentless support for biotechnology led to the cooperation between USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and private institutions to create a new paradigm of synergy in the plant-based biotechnology arena.

NAMA Marketer of the Year
Phil Johnson, Chief Operating Officer at Colle+McVoy, was presented with the NAMA Marketer of the Year Award during the Second General Session at the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference on April 12 in Dallas.

This award is the most prestigious honor awarded to an active member of the association and honors outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing. Nominees are solicited from agribusiness and related companies with overall marketing and/or sales responsibilities.

Phil Johnson has become an expert at taking the status quo and making it better. Whether he’s revitalizing a stagnant brand, reorganizing a business group or providing a struggling subsidiary with the resources needed to gain the confidence to succeed, Johnson is a vital part of maximizing nearly every challenge he encounters, to the benefit of his clients, his company and those who work around him. Johnson’s philosophy is simple. He uses a straight-forward equation to get the results that put his clients at the forefront of the agricultural industry: Relationships + Rigor = Results. Utilizing this equation to dig into a customer’s business and understand it from the ground up takes a huge amount of work and commitment, and is the key to successfully acquiring and keeping clients.

As a principal at Colle+McVoy for 20 years, Johnson has provided the leadership and encouragement needed to offer exceptional client service and innovative marketing solutions. Celebrating his 20th anniversary as a member and leader of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), Johnson has served as a director and president of the North Central Chapter and chaired awards program committees from the Midlands and North Central chapters. He successfully chaired the NAMA Issues Forum committee in September, 1998, and received the Outstanding Chair award in 1999 for his leadership.

For more information on these awards and the winners visit, http://www.nama.org/awards/awards-index.html.