Recruit A Member And You Could Win An iPad Mini

Wouldn’t a new iPad Mini be cool to win just before the holidays?  Recruit someone you know to become a NAMA member and be entered into a drawing for an iPad Mini.  The member-get-a-member campaign will run through December 9.  The drawing will take place on December 10.  The more members you recruit, the more your name will be entered into the drawing!

Share with your friends, peers and business associates how you benefit from being a member of NAMA – the learning and networking opportunities, skill development, access to agribusiness solutions, etc.

Simply tell your recruit to join on-line at http://www.nama.org/register.aspx and add your name and company in the box titled “Referred By.”  They can also call the NAMA office at 913-491-6500 to join; remind them to say they were referred by you!

Members of the North Central NAMA Chapter volunteered on Monday, November 11, at the Emergency Foodshelf Network headquarters in New Hope, MN.  They helped with projects such as packing food into boxes in an assembly line, re-packaging bulk food in smaller bags for more manageable distribution and sorting through donated food and packing it in boxes for food shelves.

10 people participated, including 3 volunteers from the Student NAMA chapter.  1,068 meals were packed that fed over 248 families in need for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Three Milwaukee-area consumer media professionals shared their experiences and insight with Badger NAMA members in November.  The panel discussion took place in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward.  Moderator Andrea Bloom, Vita Plus, grilled the panel to learn how ag communicators can most effectively use mainstream news to reach consumers. Panelists included Stephanie Graham of WTMJ TV, Gitte Laasby from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Jeff Tyler of Clear Channel Radio. Some of the best advice was related to how to catch – and keep – their attention:

•  “Why do I care? If I am bored with your press release after 10 seconds, it won’t get on air. If it isn’t worth sharing in social media to friends, don’t send it to the media.” – Jeff Tyler

•  “Raw milk is the new black – if you pitch a story that will garner interest, we’ll cover it.  If people care, we care.” – Gitte Laasby

•  “An email with a follow-up call is the way to go. Don’t get gimmicky.  Be a real person if you want me to tell your story.” – Stephanie Graham

• “Be the expert between stories, not during the crisis. That’s how you get to be the go-to when I need real answers.” – Jeff Tyler

There was a thunderous response to the call for Best of NAMA entries with over 1440 submitted for Regional Judging on November 12th & 13th.  This is the  highest amount we have seen since 1999!

Thank you to every agency and company that submitted their best work for consideration.  Every submission strengthens local NAMA chapters and showcases the talent and vitality of NAMA members.

A special thanks to our 40 plus wonderful judges who participated in the judging process that took place at the Sheraton Crown Center in Kansas City.   This program could not be successful without their help and expertise.

We hope to see you at a regional or chapter banquet in January to see the results of your hard work.  Check out  https://www.namablog.org/?page_id=16 for banquet dates and locations.  Be sure to check back often as details are still being finalized.

NAMA is pleased to announce IDEAg Group, LLC  as a new sustaining partner.

 IDEAg is dedicated to bringing interactive, content-rich, high-value events to the marketplace that connect producers to the providers of new and innovative solutions to agriculture through its established farm show events (Farmfest, Dakotafest, Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show, and Northern Illinois Farm Show) and innovative new summits and conferences.

IDEAg connects directly with farmers, growers and ranchers.  Their goal of bringing the industry together aligns with NAMA’s efforts to cultivate connections within agribusiness.

As a Sustaining Partner, IDEAg will receive additional exposure at upcoming NAMA events and on the association’s website, Pickett explained. Most importantly, IDEAg joins other Sustaining Partners committed to the future success of NAMA.

“IDEAg is very pleased to support NAMA and the important work it is doing in support of agribusiness professionals and the industry,” said Samantha Kaplan, marketing manager of IDEAg.

About IDEAg

IDEAg Group, LLC delivers an optimal experience to attendees, exhibitors and industry thought leaders in the agriculture market. Through its established farm show events and Feed & Grain Magazine, the IDEAg Group is dedicated to bringing interactive, content-rich, high-value events to the marketplace, connecting top-level producers to providers across the country. The IDEAg Group offers events, publications, and media products that are produced “For Agriculture. By Agriculture.”

For more information visit www.ideaggroup.com.

The theme for Ag Day 2014 is Agriculture: 365 sunrises and 7 billion mouths to feed. Ag Day events in Washington, DC will take place on March 24 & 25, 2014.  Events include a reception, courtesy of Agri-Pulse, a mix and mingle luncheon on the Hill and dinner at the USDA.  Watch for details at www.agday.org.

The Tom Tomlinson Memorial Scholarship honors the legacy of Tomlinson, an agricultural sales, consulting and marketing professional, and passionate supporter of Agriculture. Tom was active in the industry until his passing in July 2013.

This $1000 scholarship will be awarded by Beck Ag at the NAMA Agri-Marketing Conference in 2014 to a qualified college junior who is a member of a National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) student chapter and is majoring in animal science, agricultural communications, agricultural economics/agricultural business (depending on university definition of field of study)*. The scholarship will be administered by the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF).

The remaining criteria will follow scholarship rules established by NAMA. They are:

1. Judging will be conducted by representatives from ABEF.

2. Nominees must be members of an accredited student NAMA chapter.

3. To be considered, applicants must be from the junior class and have a B average or higher.

4. The monetary award must be used during the 2014-15 school year.

5. Entries must be submitted following rules established by ABEF and NAMA. Rules may change periodically.

*Some universities classify all agricultural business disciplines in ag economics. Others use agribusiness. Applicants from both disciplines may apply.