Words of Wisdom From a ‘Noticer’
written by Mike Gustafson, Deer’s Landing Communication

No one attending the second session would ever tell you that Andy Andrews lacked energy. He insisted that he was not a motivational speaker. Still, his personal stories were so engaging, his enthusiasm so remarkable, that everyone surely left the session knowing they had met someone special and were committed to following his advice.

That advice was rooted in a time when Andy was 19 years old, penniless and homeless after losing both parents. He lived under a highway overpass, bathed in the Holiday Inn pool, and took odd jobs to survive.  It was under that overpass that Andy met ‘Jones,’ a man who would challenge him to be better, to read, to discover himself, and to become a ‘noticer.’

One of the things Andy has noticed over the years: everything is a matter of perspective. Perspective brings calm. Calm brings understanding. Understanding leads to creativity. Creativity opens the door to answers.

Named by one New York Times writer as “a modern-day Will Rogers,” Andrews charmed the audience with stories and personal comments. He wrapped up by offering the two great ways to be great: 1) Smile while you talk; 2) Recognize people. By doing so, you will be that someone others will want to be around, to help, and to encourage.

Said Andy, “Even in the darkest times, there is proof of hope. You’re still breathing which means you’re still alive. So you still have a purpose in this world. The best is yet to come.”

This remarkable and unforgettable session was sponsored by Syngenta.

Enlightening Stories Behind the Inspiring Photography
written by Mike Gustafson, Deer’s Landing Communication

Paul Mobley started his presentation with a story explaining how he lost his love for photography, and how he regained it at a small-town coffee shop. There sat four farmers who would change the course of Paul’s life.

Paul had never photographed anything having to do with agriculture before. But these people where so real, so engaging, that by the end of the summer, Paul had taken photos of nearly every farmer and farm family in that county. He pitched the idea of a book commemorating rural America.  His publisher loved the idea, and off went Paul on a four-year, 100,000-mile journey through 37 states.

Paul said, “This book is about people.” And so it is.  Over 270 pages of incredible photographs of people who work the land. Incredible, too, are the stories behind those pictures.

One such story Paul shared was his opportunity to photograph Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Indiana. At 115 years of age, Edna was, at the time, the oldest living person in the world. Paul recounted his time with Edna as a ‘true honor.’

While Paul may have set up and posed his subjects, he says that his best shots came from those moments when people were unaware he was shooting.  Still, it seemed that every photo captured the true character of people in agriculture.

Paul’s book, American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country, contains more than two hundred portraits and forty-five farmer and rancher interviews. A journey through his book is truly a journey through the heartland.

Our thanks go out to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and Elanco Animal Health for their sponsorship of the Closing Session.

Dave Seehusen, Executive Vice President, Ag Business Development for Land O’Lakes, Inc., was honored with the 2010 Agribusiness Leader of the Year award, April 21, in Kansas City.

The award, which is NAMA’s highest honor, honors outstanding leaders in agribusiness, education, government service or other agribusiness related areas who exemplify excellence in agribusiness by their significant contributions to the industry.

Stephanie Liska, CEO of Beck Ag, Inc., was honored with the NAMA Marketer of the Year award at the  2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, on Thursday, April 22.

NAMA recognizes its active members with senior management of marketing and/or sales responsibilities with the NAMA Marketer of the Year award. This award is NAMA’s most prestigious honor awarded to active members of the association and honors outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing.

Students from New Mexico State University took first place at the Student Marketing Competition sponsored by Monsanto. The competition was held April 20-22 in Kansas City, MO.

The New Mexico State marketing team had 23 students involved with this year’s project to market Custom-made Saddles. The team spent the last several months doing market research, writing the marketing plan, and developing a presentation.

The top six marketing teams this year were: First place, New Mexico State University; Second place, Illinois State University; Third place, Michigan State University; Fourth place, Iowa State University; Fifth place, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo; Sixth place, University of Minnesota.

Students decide on a project and develop a plan to successfully bring the product or service to the marketplace. In developing their marketing plan, students follow the same practices and principles used by today’s marketing professionals. Teams submit a written plan summary prior to the competition and then make a formal presentation of their marketing plan to a panel of judges at the competition. The judges’ panel consists of marketing and agribusiness professionals.

Overall, 31 student NAMA chapters participated in the marketing competition. The competition is part of the annual Agri-Marketing Conference. Over 400 student members attended the conference.

To view the Executive Summaries of the Final 6 schools visit http://www.nama.org/student/marketing.html.

To view the Student Scholarship Recipients, visit http://www.nama.org/student/scholarship.html.

To view the Outstanding Student Chapter winners, visit http://www.nama.org/student/outstanding.html.

The Southwest NAMA Chapter shares news from the recent NAMA Annual conference held in Kansas City, April 21-23.

The Southwest Chapter hosted a reception for their Student NAMA groups from TX A&M, TX A&M Kingsville, Sam Houston State and New Mexico State Universities.  The reception was held on Tuesday, April 20, and it was fun to share the enthusiasm and excitement the students brought to the evening – in preparation for their marketing presentations the next day!

Every chapter performed in the Student Marketing competition with exemplary expertise and enthusiasm – reminding all attendees how rewarding careers in this industry are.  To put the “icing on the cake” New Mexico State University took home first place!  The students created a marketing plan for introducing a specialized saddle designed to eliminate pressure points and saddle fit problems into the rodeo market. While this isn’t the first time the team has won the top prize, it has been several years since they have brought home first place!  (Read more and see photos at the NAMA blog.)

Congrats to the members of all  these chapters for their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication.  The Southwest NAMA Chapter is proud to be host Chapter of the winning team!

Thanks to all the students for representing your schools and the Southwest chapter!

As if you can’t tell already, I had a blast during the NAMA conference last week in Kansas City. I especially had fun spending time with the 31 student teams that competed in this year’s Student Marketing Competition. I did, however, have a special place in my heart for my Alma mater, Iowa State University. I had an opportunity to spend some time with them during the week and they are a fantastic group of students. I look forward to working with them, as well as all the students at the conference, in the near future.

Congrats to all the winners whom you can see in our 2010 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

And the awards keep on a coming….at least during the 2010 NAMA Student Marketing Competition. During the Awards Ceremony, five student chapters were given awards by John Deere as part of the John Deere Signature Awards that were started by Michael Gustafson, who also won the “Hard Ass” award for his role as a judge in the competition.

The awards are given to the student chapters based on a scale that includes student participation in NAMA.

This year the winners are….

1st Place – Iowa State University -$3,000
2nd Place – University of Florida – $2,000
3rd Place – New Mexico State University – $1,000
4th Place – Illinois State University – $500
5th Place – University of Wisconsin Madison – $500

Congratulations to the winning chapters!

2010 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album