New Member List:
Welcome our new members for October 2015:

AT LARGE
Aimee Culbert
Kirk Evans
Rebecca Shaw

BADGER
Bobbi Burow

CHESAPEAKE
Chris Marcocci

CORNHUSKER
Debra Gangwish

GATEWAY
Brittany Day

HEARTLAND
Kelley Fornoff

IOWA
Jeremy Bielski

MISSOURI-KANSAS
Tammy Epple
Lily Sanders

NORTHERN PRAIRIE
Nikki Fechner

WESTERN PACIFIC
Mariah Chacon
Michelle Morisette

The Great Plains NAMA Chapter is inviting you to a Webinar scheduled for Tuesday, November 10 at noon central. Mark Vierthaler, Director of Communications for Servi-Tech, Inc. and Great Plains Chapter President, will be discussing the importance of integrating your traditional marketing and advertising efforts with your digital presence in order to reach across generational lines with producers.

Topic: A Market in Flux: Reaching All the Generations of Farmers

Time: Nov. 10, 2015 12:00 PM (GMT-5:00) Central Time (US and Canada)

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/631169920

Or join by phone: +1 415 762 9988 (US Toll) or +1 646 568 7788 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 631 169 920

For more information about the Webinar, contact Mark Vierthaler at (620) 390-9535 or email him at mark.vierthaler@servitech.com.

Join MoKan NAMA on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. for a lunch and learn on Inte-GREAT-ed Marketing. Put the Great Into Your Marketing Strategies. Learn how to integrate NOW with concepts and strategies you can apply to your business today!

With the digital landscape transforming at an unprecedented rate, learn tips and tricks to leverage audience data through integrated marketing and personalize these experiences to drive business outcomes. Hear Joe Douthitt, VP of Marketing and Sales from Boelte-Hall, walk through the integrated landscape, the shift in consumer engagement strategies and how you can get started with your business’s revolution and apply these concepts in real time.

Joe Douthitt has more than 17 years of professional experience with specialized expertise in areas such as integrated marketing strategy, sales, advertising agency leadership and business management.

He has provided marketing and communications leadership for a variety of partners such as Sprint Nextel, Proctor & Gamble, Castrol, Yellow Transportation, Bayer, NationsRent and Burger King. Joe has managed teams providing a wide range of products and services such as advertising, sponsorships, marketing and print. Joe is currently the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Boelte-Hall, a full-line commercial printer and print integration services provider based in Roeland Park, Kansas.  He is a 1997 graduate of Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS, where he has since been nominated in 2012 as an Outstanding Alumni for his professional accomplishments.

Click here to RSVP for this event by Friday, November 6th. For questions, please contact Klaire Madden at klaire.madden@vlsci.com.

The Cornhusker Chapter toured Prairieland Dairy in Firth, NE on October 20th. Dan Rice, owner of Prairieland, did an exceptional job sharing the history of how he started in dairy and explained the dairy industry functionality of his operation.  This is a 1300 head Holstein dairy cow operation that produces its own milk, ice cream and a growing compost business.

Dan is truly an innovator among his dairy peers.  He has spent a lot of time developing and testing the A2 protein the Holstein cow has within their DNA.  Most dairy cows carry either an A1 or A2 protein, which has proven to be an effective positive in those consumers affected by the complications due to the A1 protein which makes it difficult to consume.  People have praised Mr. Rice on his A2 product that allows them to drink his milk without ANY adverse complications and taste the same as normal milk.  Dan is extremely passionate about human health and states his operation is a ‘functional’ operation aimed at consumer health… not a high volume dairy production commodity.

Dan also spends his time soil sampling to better understand and improve their corn feed.  He is concerned about the soil fertility & nutrient balance NPK (nitrates/phosphorus/potassium) and works closely with the University of Nebraska to improve the quality of the soil.  He also receives a 97% score from the Dairy Association’s annual audit.  Quite impressive!

What is one of the best things about World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI? Networking with fellow NAMA members, of course! The Badger NAMA chapter hosted a reception on Thursday, October 1, 2015 for NAMA members and friends from across the U.S. and Canada who were exhibiting at the show. Also in attendance were student NAMA members from University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Platteville chapters.

Each year, members look forward to easy conversation with friends in the industry that they don’t get to see very often or meeting new friends while enjoying Wisconsin cheese and beverages.

“After a long day of working the show, it’s nice for our members to have a place to gather with colleagues in the heart of the action,” said first-time reception attendee, Sarah Duwe with MorganMyers.

This year there was an impressive turnout by the student NAMA members. The students were challenged with an activity to meet professionals and practice their networking and conversation skills.

“It’s great to see the students who are the future of the ag industry, networking with potential future colleagues or employers,” said Kelly Smith, careers co-chair for the UW-Platteville student chapter. “I learned a lot during my student NAMA days, and I hope to give back some of those same great lessons I learned.”

The Badger NAMA Chapter thanks all members and friends who attended. Please join us again next year for our World Dairy Expo networking reception. Watch the Badger NAMA Facebook page for future event details.

 This year, the annual MoKan NAMA golf outing became a social at TopGolf, a multi-level driving range with points scored for each ball hit into specific targets on the range. Students from Mizzou and K-State were in attendance with the professionals as we took the golf outing to a new and different place. In observance of World Food Day, we had the event on Oct. 22, and participants brought canned food as part of the event.  We collected over 40 lbs. of food, which was donated to a local pantry.  Fun was had by all – pictures to prove it!

To kick off our new year, the Midsouth chapter hit the road for an Ag Tour.  On September 25, we boarded a bus heading east into the beautiful rolling countryside of western Tennessee.  Our destination – John & Debra Bradley’s heritage Spring Valley Farms.  Along with his lovely wife, our very own John Bradley, formerly of Monsanto and FB Sciences, played host to the group.

John and Debra have both “retired” to a more than full-time job running John’s family farm.  It has been designated as a Century Farm as it has stayed in his family for over 100 years.  They manage 150 head in a cow/calf operation.  The beef they produce is sold custom and direct to customers.  They raise natural beef because they believe in the quality it gives their customers.  John is proud of their herd health program and believes it keeps them from having to use as many antibiotics (part of their natural beef pledge).  As if this wasn’t enough, Debra has 40 bee hives which she manages.  She has a waiting list for the honey that these hives produce.  John and Debra have equal roles in all of their operations and it keeps them going 24/7.  They look forward to taking on some help so that maybe they can slow down in their “retirement”.

The NAMA bus arrived mid-morning at the Bradley’s house, which was stunning in every aspect.  The group was able to hear the history of the farms and what they currently do while hamburgers cooked outside on the grill.  After a wonderful lunch, featuring Debra’s homemade fixings, we boarded the bus to see more of the farms.  It was like a walk back through John’s childhood as he showed us where he grew up and the houses his family owned.  The tour was complete with an up-close look at the 100+ year old barn built by his grandfather.  Hand hewn lumber, no nails or hinges.  It was a masterpiece.   It was a great day for the Midsouth chapter.  Full of learning, friends, and good food!