NAMA is introducing a new level of sponsorship;  Sustaining Partners

The NAMA Sustaining Partner would provide maximum exposure for a company seeking to align themselves more closely throughout the year with NAMA.  The program delivers extensive overall promotional benefits and exposure at all three key NAMA events (Conference, Boot Camp and Trends in Agriculture).  The partnership provides the ability to carry marketing objectives to new levels while assuring that NAMA has a more stable means of sponsorship income throughout the year.  The baseline commitment is $10,000 over the course of one full year.

The NAMA Sustaining Partner will receive all the sponsorship benefits of a Platinum Level Sponsor, plus the following:

• Use of Strategic Partner logo in advertising and promotion
• Web banner ad on NAMA web site that rotates with other Strategic Partners on an equal basis
• One comp registration at each of the three key NAMA meetings
• One comp NAMA membership
• Ad on digital signage at annual Conference
• Logo recognition as a partner on promotional materials for all three key NAMA events
• Verbal recognition at all three key events

For more information contact Jennifer Pickett at jennyp@nama.org.

For a list of opportunities and other sponsor information visit www.nama.org/amc.

Get the skills and strategies you need to grow professionally and lead in challenging times at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 21-23, in Kansas City, Mo.

Remember, if you register by December 31, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a flip video camcorder!

• Learn how to get ag’s message out using groundbreaking new media
• Discover how companies are forging unique partnerships to build trust
• Gain a renewed sense of pride in the promise of American agriculture

Take a trip to the Heartland for unbeatable networking and a line-up of internationally known keynote speakers.

David Meerman Scott
Receive a step-by-step plan to harness the power of new media and web-based communication. Using detailed case studies and real-world examples, David will explain how to tell compelling stories that turn tryers into buyers.

Andy Andrews
A trusted advisor to corporations, organizations—even presidents and military leaders—Andy Andrews will tell you how to excel in even the toughest economic climate.

Paul Mobley
Acclaimed photographer Paul Mobley shares portraits from his book American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country. Rekindle your zest for American agriculture and end the 2010 conference on an inspiring high note.

To register, visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=8.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the Agribusiness Leader and NAMA Marketer of the Year awards is January 15, 2010. Both awards will be presented at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 21-23, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Agribusiness Leader of the Year
The Agribusiness Leader of the Year is NAMA’s highest honor. The award honors an outstanding leader in agribusiness, education, government service or other agribusiness related areas. Nominees do not need to be NAMA members.

Fill out the nomination form on-line now at http://www.nama.org/awards/agribusinessform.htm. Or download the Agribusiness Leader Nomination form in an Adobe PDF format by visiting, http://www.nama.org/awards/agbusapplication.pdf.

NAMA Marketer of the Year
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 the most prestigious honor awarded to an active member of the association and honors outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing directly to ag producers. Nominees MUST be NAMA members.

Fill out the nomination form on-line now at http://www.nama.org/awards/namamarketerform.htm or download the NAMA Marketer of the Year nomination form in an Adobe PDF format by visiting, http://www.nama.org/awards/mktrapplication.pdf.

Mark your calendars to save the date of a Best of NAMA ceremony near you! The following regions and chapters will be hosting events.

Region II ~ January 7
This Best of NAMA event will take place on January 7, 2010, at Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, MO.

Cost for the event is $65. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. with cocktails, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the awards presentation at 7:00 p.m.

To register for the Region II Best of NAMA event visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=9.

A block of rooms is being held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center and the Hyatt Shuttle will be available to take you to and from Boulevard Brewing. The hotel cut-off date is December 29. Make your reservations by calling 816-421-1234. Make sure you mention “NAMA” to receive the discounted rate of $109.

For more information visit www.nama.org/amc/bon/region2.htm.

Region III ~ January 14
The Region III Best of NAMA ceremony will take place on January 14, 2010, at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN.

Cost for the event is $70. The program will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the awards presentation at 7:30 p.m.

To register for the Region III Best of NAMA ceremony visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=10.

Rooms are being held at the Radisson University Hotel, 615 Washington Ave., SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Call 1-800-395-7046 to make your reservations. Make sure you mention NAMA to receive the $99 rate. The hotel cut-off date is Dec. 31.

For more information visit www.nama.org/amc/bon/region3.htm.

Region IV ~ January 21
The Region IV Best of NAMA ceremony will take place on January 21, 2010, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Madison, WI.

The cost of this event is $65. The program will begin with a reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. and the awards presentation at 8:00 p.m.

To register for the Region IV Best of NAMA ceremony visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=11.

You can make hotel reservations at the Crowne Plaze by calling 200-404-7630. Make sure you mention “NAMA” to get the special rate of $104. The hotel cut-off date is January 7.

For the latest information on the Region IV Banquet visit www.nama.org/amc/bon/region4.htm.

Carolinas/Virginia NAMA ~ January 26
The Carolinas/Virginia NAMA chapter will hold their Best of NAMA event at the Chatham Hill Winery in Morrisville, NC. There will be wine tasting reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards program.

More information on this event will be coming soon…stay tuned to www.nama.org/amc/bon/carvir.html.

Western Pacific NAMA ~ February 9
Western Pacific NAMA will be hosting a Best of NAMA event at the VIP tent at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA.

The event will be a reception/mixer from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.

More details about the cost for this event are on the way. Visit www.nama.org/amc/bon/westpac.htm for the latest information.

Every year at the Agri-Marketing Conference, professionals involved with selling products and services to the agricultural marketplace gather to explore the latest in techniques, trends and practices. In 2010, the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. If your target audience includes agrimarketers, you can’t afford to miss the 2010 Connection Point.

An effective, affordable marketing investment

In today’s world of voice mails and e-mails, the Connection Point offers a unique opportunity for face-to-face contact. Something every business can use!

Research shows a single, personal sales call can cost $500 or more. In some industries—such as ag—that can go much higher, both because of technical expertise needed and because the market is so geographically dispersed. Your participation in the Connection Point will enable you to make sales calls much more economically!

And it is a sales opportunity. In a recent study, 91% of respondents ranked trade shows as an “extremely useful” source for product purchasing information and nearly half had purchased products or services at a trade show.

Approximately 1,200 people attend the Agri-Marketing Conference each year to explore the latest ideas and insights and share what’s working for them. The Connection Point is an integral part of this event and gives you the opportunity to see—and be seen by—a high concentration of individuals who make and/or influence ag-related buying decisions.

Conference attendees include:

• Marketing executives from agribusiness companies
• Advertising agency professionals
• Public relations executives
• Media representatives
• Commodity and trade association professionals

To signup for a trade show booth at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, please visit http://www.nama.org/amc/ts/signup.htm.

Stewart Ramsey, senior economist with Global Insight’s Agriculture Service, provided a glimpse into the near future for regional agricultural marketers at Chesapeake NAMA‘s Lunch ‘n Learn November 19.

Responsible for forecasting and analysis of North American agriculture, Ramsey has more than 20 years experience in forecasting crop supply and demand conditions around the world. His work includes trade policy, climate change, farmer behavior and adoption of technology and measures of sustainability. He has a graduate degree in economics from the University of Delaware.

Held at Farm Journal’s new headquarters in Center City Philadelphia, the meeting focused on this year’s harvest and how current uncertainties with the global economy will affect fertilizer, fuel, seed and chemical costs in the coming year.

Longtime NAMA member, M. (Milton) James Robertson, 82, of Ballwin, Missouri died at home on December 12, 2009.

Robertson joined Monsanto’s textile company in New York in 1968 as Director of Marketing Communications. As such, he was responsible for Wear-Dated communications programs. He developed the partnership promotion concept involving mills, manufacturers and retailers participating in the commercial content of four network television programs each year.

He moved to St. Louis in 1976 to assume similar responsibilities at Monsanto’s agricultural division which involved extensive world travel. During his tenure, he was deeply involved in what became known as the Lasso Patent Expiration Strategy as well as the worldwide introduction of Roundup.

Upon his retirement from Monsanto in 1988 and at their behest, he formed BTB Communications (Advertising Agency). Clients included Monsanto, John Deere, the Potash Corporation, Missouri Southern Seed Corporation and other agricultural accounts before his retirement in 1992.

Extracurricular activities included directorships and/or chairmanships of the Gateway chapter of NAMA, the St. Louis AgriBusiness Club, Solutions Magazine, and the Kirkwood- Webster YMCA. He was involved in the panel participation in the annual selection of Miss Agriculture-USA.

Robertson was preceded in death by his parents, David and Anne Cummin Robertson, his sister, Jean Larson, his first wife, the former Caroline Totten of Teaneck, NJ. (1985) and his beloved grandson, Michael Robertson.

He is survived by his wife, Margie Nehring Robertson, a daughter, Lynda Pasqueretta of Hawthorne, NJ and her husband Thomas, a son, David Robertson of Demarest, NJ, and his wife, Marilyn, and two stepchildren, Pamela Yungermann and David Yungermann and his wife Carla, of Missouri. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Carole, Christine, and Thomas Pasqueretta, Matthew and Joseph Robertson, and Paige and Louis Yungermann.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to The Michael Robertson Foundation, 95 Stewart St., Demarest, N.J. 07627.