It’s time to start putting your entries together for the Best of NAMA awards program. Best of NAMA honors the best work in agricultural communications. Actually, the Best of the Best, since companies and agencies must first qualify through a regional competition in order to advance to the national level. Regional awards ceremonies will be held in January. The national awards ceremony will take place April 16, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

Best of NAMA entries are sent directly to the national NAMA office and judged by industry professionals at a regional level for possible advancement to the national competition. A minimum point standard will be used at the regional level. If you place first or merit at the regional competition and score above the minimum point standard, you are eligible to advance to the national competition. The NAMA office will notify you by February 1, 2008, regarding entries eligible for advancement. An entry fee at the regional and national level is required.

Support Your Local Chapter
Your local chapter receives $25 per regional entry. So, enter your work in Best of NAMA and support your local chapter at the same time.

If you’re a NAMA member, you’re eligible to submit your company’s communications materials produced for first use in 2007.

The deadline for submitting your entries is Friday, October 12.

Special thanks to High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal for sponsoring the Best of NAMA Call for Entries.

Special thanks also to McCormick Company for the design of the Call for Entries.
For categories and information on how to submit your entry visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/bon/index.htm.

To download the entry form in an Adobe .PDF format visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/bon/entryform.pdf.

To download the entry form in a Microsoft Word document visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/bon/entryform.doc.

The National Agri-Marketing Association, in association with NAMA members everywhere presents How The Best Was Won starring: Discerning Clients, Astute Account Executives, Clever Copywriters, Gifted Art Directors, Savvy PR Professionals, Shrewd Media Buyers, Demanding Production Managers, and a Cast of Thousands.

The Best of NAMA awards program honors the best work in agricultural communications. Actually, the best of the best, since companies/agencies must first qualify through regional competition in order to advance to the national level. The national awards ceremony will take place April 16, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

Best of NAMA operates on a regional judging format. Entries are sent directly to the national NAMA office and judged by industry professionals at a regional level for possible advancement to national competition. The regional judging will take place November 12-13 in Kansas City. A minimum point standard will be used at the regional level. If you place first or merit at the regional competition and score above the minimum point standard, you are eligible to advance to the national competition. The NAMA office will notify you by February 1, 2008, regarding entries eligible for advancement. An entry fee at the regional and national level is required. If your entry advances to national, however, it will not be necessary to create another entry.

The entry deadline is October 12, 2007. No extensions will be granted on entry or payment submission.

To view the Best of NAMA entry categories, directions on how to prepare your entries or to download Best of NAMA entry forms, visit http://www.nama.org/amc/bon/index.htm.

Book your calendars now because CAMA Saskatchewan will be hosting BEST of CAMA 2007! Best of CAMA 2007 will be held in Regina, Saskatchewan on November 14. This event is going to be a gas, a CAMA Gas.

Watch for details and a call for entries this month, or contact Tracey Irwin at tldigintel@sasktel.net to be put on the list for regular Best of CAMA updates. Best of CAMA is the premier event that celebrates and awards agri-marketing in Canada.

For up-to-date information on the Best of CAMA, visit http://www.bestofcama.com.

The Region III Leader Workshop took place June 21, prior to the North Central Golf Outing, at the Crystal Lake Golf Club in Lakeville, MN.

Special thanks to Leslie Shuler, CHS, Inc., incoming North Central Best of NAMA co-chair; Jill Wenzel, Adculture, incoming North Central President; Teri Otte, CHS, Inc., incoming North Central Student Careers Chair; Leah Brakke, AdFarm, Northern Prairie Secretary/Treasurer; Jennifer Deppe, Morgan&Myers, incoming Cornbelt President; Russ Parker, J.L. Farmakis, Region III Director; Cliff Meyer, Farm & Ranch Guide/Minnesota Farm Guide, Region III Director; Kenna Rathai, Kenna B. Rathai Communications, NAMA Staff Representative; and Kathi Conrad, National NAMA Staff, for participating in the workshop.

These incoming leaders discussed ideas in chapter planning, leadership, programming, membership and the Region III Best of NAMA Banquet to be held in January, 2008. The banquet will take place in Minneapolis, MN and those chairing the Regional Best of NAMA committee will decide on an exact date and location in the near future. Each chapter is responsible for providing a representative to serve on this committee.

Notes from the Region III and Region IV Leader Workshops are available in an Adobe .pdf format at www.nama.org/leader/2007RegionalWorkshopNotes.pdf.

Region II Leader Workshop
Region II will host their leader workshop on Wednesday, August 8 at 10:00 a.m. Stay tuned to the NAMA e-News for the latest information on this workshop.

Note: Please also remember, if you have your leaders selected for the upcoming 2007-2008 program year, please submit them to Linda Schaefer at the NAMA office at lindas@nama.org.

Chapter Leadership
Make the most of your membership by taking a committee role at the chapter level. Gain hands-on leadership experience that will benefit you in your professional and personal life.

Chapter leaders are currently recruiting committee members. If you are interested in becoming a member of a chapter committee, contact your chapter president. A list of chapter presidents can be found at http://www.nama.org/chapters/chapters-index.html.

The Region IV Leader Workshop took place May 31, prior to the Badger/Chicago NAMA Golf Outing, at Hawk’s View Golf Club in Lake Geneva, WI.

Thanks to Sarah Muirhead, Feedstuffs, in-coming Chicago president; Betsy Francoeur, Bader Rutter, in-coming Badger president; Tom Thieding, Wisconsin Farm Bureau, in-coming Badger board member; and Kenna Rathai, Kenna B. Rathai Communications, NAMA Staff Representative, for participating in the workshop, a lot of great ideas were brainstormed in the areas of chapter planning, leadership, membership and programming for the upcoming program year.

Also discussed was the Region IV Best of NAMA Banquet. It was decided to bring the location back to the Lake Geneva, Wis. area and are tentatively holding Thursday, January 17, 2008, as the date. Each chapter will be responsible for providing a representative to serve on this committee.

Region III Leader Workshop
Region III will host a leader workshop on Thursday, June 21 at the Crystal Lake Golf Club, prior to the North Central golf outing. The workshop will take place from 8:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Region II Leader Workshop
The Region II Leader Workshop will take place in July. Stay tuned for more information.
Note: Please also remember, if you have your leaders selected for the upcoming 2007-2008 program year, please submit them to Linda Schaefer at the NAMA office at lindas@nama.org.

Chapter Leadership
Make the most of your membership by taking a committee role at the chapter level. Gain hands-on leadership experience that will benefit you in your professional and personal life.

Chapter leaders are currently recruiting committee members. If you are interested in becoming a member of a chapter committee, contact your chapter president. A list of chapter presidents can be found at http://www.nama.org/chapters/chapters-index.html.

Just a reminder to mark your calendars for the following upcoming events and deadlines:

NAMA Boot Camp: August 21-23, 2007
Professional Development Awards of Excellence Deadline: September 1, 2007
Best of NAMA Entry Deadline: October 12, 2007
2007 Agribusiness Forum: November 13-14, 2007

Keep watching the National NAMA e-News for more information on the Boot Camp, Awards of Excellence, Best of NAMA Call for Entries and the Agribusiness Forum.

Just a reminder to mark your calendars for the Best of NAMA Entry Deadline, October 12, 2007. In addition, the 2007 Agribusiness Forum will take place November 13-14, in Kansas City.

The Agribusiness Forum will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. Once again, the Forum will dovetail the Regional Best of NAMA judging and the NAFB convention.

Keep watching the National NAMA e-News for the activities and sessions happening at the Forum.