Join the National Agri-Marketing Association for the 12th annual NAMA Boot Camp, August 18-20 in Kansas City. Whether you’ve just entered the rough working world or one who’s been through the NAMA Boot Camp drill before, sign up for this program today to learn more about the agri-marketing industry. This year’s Boot Camp will take it to a new level expanding on marketing and agriculture basics.Â
All attendees will receive a notebook packed with agricultural terminology, facts, case studies and speaker presentations. This notebook has become one of the most popular aspects of the boot camp experience.
Check out the schedule below:
Tuesday, August 18
7:00 a.m. — MoKan Ag Tour (optional)
The tour is an on-farm experience. Make plans to kick off Boot Camp by participating in Missouri-Kansas NAMA’s ag tour. The first stop will be a cattle production facility in Savannah, Missouri. This angus feeder and cow/calf operation started in 1950. The facility includes a sale barn, meat counter and pasture. Following this, we’ll move on to Green Dirt Farm in Weston, Missouri, where we’ll enjoy lunch. This location includes the original barn, along with a dairy parlor and cheese kitchen and reflects the owner’s commitment to bring the best sheep’s milk cheeses, yogurt and 100% grass-fed lamb to market. We’ll wrap up the day with a visit to Cider Hill Family Orchard, in Kansas City, Kansas. This 25-acre property includes an orchard, pumpkin patch and fishing ponds. The orchard has 950 apple trees with 18 different kinds of apples. Apple season begins in late July!
4:00 p.m. — Boot Camp Registration
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. — Welcome Reception
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. — Opening General Session, Dinner & Networking Activity
Susan Hunyor, DTN/The Progressive Farmer
Kick off the Boot Camp with a networking activity designed to help you get to know fellow attendees.
Wednesday, August 19
8:00 a.m. — Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 10:00 a.m. — General Session
Doing Your Job Better
Gail Calhoun, Calhoun Consulting
The ability to identify and adapt to different communication styles within your organization is a critical component of success. Whether you’re new to your career or just looking for some helpful hints, this session will highlight tips for communicating with team members and managing expectations to make sure you’re delivering the best work possible. Gail Calhoun is president of Calhoun Consulting, Inc., a Minneapolis-based sales communication and executive coaching firm.
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. — Break
10:30 a.m. – Noon — General Session
Producer Panel
Moderator:Â Jared Spader, VP of Strategy and Business Development/U.S. Operations, AgCall
Learn how to communicate effectively with producers. The producer panel has become a Boot Camp favorite and attendees won’t want to miss the valuable insights from producers.
Noon – 1:30 p.m. — Luncheon
Farm Radio Connects
Mindy Oberly, Marketing & Communications Manager, NAFB
Farmers and ranchers are on the go and farm radio provides current, local relevant news for their operation. New research showcases the importance of farm radio for the U.S. agriculture industry. Radio is a daily source of ag related news and information producers need and want to know.
1:30 – 2:45 p.m. — Breakout Sessions (choose one)
Livestock 101
Bryson Byergo, third generation of Byergo Angus Farms and a producer
This highly interactive session will address basics of the row crop industry along with issues and challenges. Hear it straight from the producer.
Lessons Learned from a Career in Crisis Management
Season Solorio, Beef Issues and Reputation Management team, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Every organization will eventually face the moment when something goes wrong, affecting your people, products or reputation. This session will offer practical tips for managing a crisis based on the real-life experiences of an ag communicator who has helped manage producer recalls, oil spills, pink slime and the media onslaught that accompanies a crisis.
2:45 – 3:00 p.m. — Break
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. — Breakout Sessions (choose one)
Row Crop 101
This highly interactive session will address basics of the row crop industry along with issues and challenges. Hear it straight from the producer.
Sustainability and the Consumer
Randy Krotz, Chief Executive Officer, US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA)
What does sustainability mean to a consumer? We think we know, but do we? We need to understand how farmers and ranchers can communicate with food connectors and millennials about sustainability on their own operation.
4:30 – 6:30 p.m. — Off-site Reception
A shuttle will take attendees to a special reception at Kansas City’s own Boulevard Brewing Company. Founded in 1989, Boulevard has grown to become one of the largest specialty brewers in the Midwest. Check it out at www.boulevard.com.
Thursday, August 20
8:30 a.m. — Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. — General Session
The Creative Department’s Dirty Little Secrets
Tug McTighe, Callahan Creek and John January, Sullivan Higdon Sink
This talk is about how you, as a non-creative type, can learn to communicate better with the creatives you work with or employ. It’s also about creative types learning to understand themselves and what makes them tick. Want to become a creative whisperer? Then this is the ticket.
10:15 – 11:30 a.m. — Closing Session
Content Marketing: The Company and Agency Perspectives
David Jones, Ag Publications Manager at John Deere and Laura Sweeney McCarthy, Account Director at Global Prairie
In today’s marketing environment, content is king. Creating and distributing valuable and relevant content – and measuring the results – are critical to attract, engage and retain target audiences. Is your content getting the attention you intend? In this panel discussion, two agriculture communications professionals will share their views 
on the important trend in content marketing and bring it to life with examples.
11:45 a.m. — Adjourn
