The nomination deadline for the NAMA Marketer of the Year and Agribusiness Leader of the Year awards is January 14, 2011.

NAMA Marketer of the Year

NAMA will recognize 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.

The award honors outstanding accomplishments in the field of marketing directly to ag producers. Nominees are solicited from agribusiness and related companies with overall marketing and/or sales responsibilities. The award will be presented during the Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13-15, 2011 in Kansas City. Nominees must be NAMA members.

To nominate someone for the NAMA Marketer award, download the application in an Adobe .pdf format at http://www.nama.org/awards/mktrapplication.pdf or fill out the online application at http://www.nama.org/awards/namamarketerform.htm.

Agribusiness Leader of the Year

The Agribusiness Leader of the Year award recognizes leadership achievement in agriculture and the food and fiber industry. This award attracts agribusiness leaders and leaders in private, public or academic service.

The Agribusiness Leader of the Year award is NAMA’s highest honor. The award honors an outstanding leader in agribusiness, education, government service or other agribusiness related area. Solicited from senior level position holders in private, public or academic service, nominees should exemplify excellence in agribusiness by their significant contributions to the industry. The award will be presented during the Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13-15, 2011 in Kansas City.

To nominate someone for the Agribusiness Leader of the Year award, download the application in an Adobe .pdf format at http://www.nama.org/awards/agbusapplication.pdf or fill out the online application at http://www.nama.org/awards/agribusinessform.htm.

Mark your calendars for the Regional Best of NAMA Awards ceremonies.

There are 4 regions which will have ceremonies in January/February 2011. First and merit winners from the regional judging, November 9-10, will be announced at these ceremonies. If your region or chapter is going to have a Best of NAMA event and it’s not listed below, please contact Kathi Conrad at the NAMA office to get your event listed on the Best of NAMA Calendar.

All winners of the regional Best of NAMA judging will be eligible for advancement to the national judging in February. Winners from the national judging will be announced at the Best of NAMA Awards Ceremony, April 13, in Kansas City.

January 13 ~ Region II Best of NAMA at the Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City

January 20 ~ Region IV Best of NAMA – location to be determined in the Chicago area

January 27 ~ Region III Best of NAMA – location to be determined in the Des Moines area

February 8 ~ Western Pacific Best of NAMA event at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA

Keep watching your email and the NAMA e-News for registration details as they become available.

There has been discussion among several NAMA committees and NAMA members about the need to increase participation in NAMA by those fresh out of college, those new to NAMA, and those under age 25 who have started their careers, but may be new to agri-marketing.

In response to these discussions, we’ve created the Young Professionals Membership. This membership category offers a discounted membership to recent graduates and new hires under the age of 25, who are already engaged in an agri-marketing business – agency, media, company, etc.

Dues for these Young Professionals would be half the amount paid by regular members until they reach the age of 25 – this is half of national dues as well as half of chapter dues. Once they reach 25, they will pay the full membership dues. Watch your email for more information coming soon on the Young Professionals membership.

Many businesses pay dues for their more seasoned employees. This will provide a cost-effective means for businesses to provide development and networking opportunities to their entry level employees. The development and networking opportunities would naturally help the younger employees become a bigger asset to their employers.

Social media is taking the internet by storm, but within that storm are dangers lying in wait for your company.  Simply being aware of what some of those dangers are is the easiest way to prevent you or your company from facing legal ramifications.

Join us for the next NAMA Webinar, Thursday, December 9 at 1:00 p.m. (Central Time) and learn how to protect yourself from online dangers.

Brett Trout is an intellectual property attorney and founder of the Des Moines law firm of Brett J. Trout, P.C.  Brett is the former President of the Iowa Intellectual Property Association and former Chair of the Iowa State Bar Association Technology Committee. He is author of one of Iowa’s oldest blogs and the books:

• Internet Laws Affecting Iowa Companies
• Internet Laws Affecting Your Company
• Cyberlaw-Your Online Legal Arsenal

Brett’s blog was voted the sixth best law blog in the world in last year’s Weblog Awards and he will be a featured speaker at this years BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas.

Cost for this webinar is $50. To register for the NAMA Webinar visit, http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=26.

Nearly 50 Mo-Kan NAMA members attended a meeting October 26 to look at Proposition B on the Missouri ballot for the Nov. election, and the group behind the act, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Dr. Allen Wessler, Vice President of feed operations and animal health at MFA, Inc., led the discussion at the lunch meeting at the American Royal building in Kansas City, Mo.  Dr. Wessler noted that HSUS has stated an objective of doing away with animal agriculture, and that less than one-half of 1 percent of their donations goes to help local animal shelters.

Dr. Wessler stated that operators who play by the rules stand to get hurt by Proposition B and that the proposition will not have the stated intention of improving animal welfare at some dog breeding facilities.  However, it would be an easy transition to move the legislation into other areas, such as livestock and poultry operations, which could have far-reaching consequences for Missouri animal agriculture.

Dr. Wessler also provided resources for additional information, including www.humanewatch, www.missourifac.com and www.alliancefortruth.org

At the conclusion of the meeting, a drawing for a $50 attendance door prize was held, with Tim Tobeck of Vance Publishing winning the prize.

The Great Plains NAMA chapter recently visited Servi-Tech in Dodge City, Kan., for a tour of their facility and a program demonstrating how the company serves producers across the High Plains. Mark Vierthaler, Director of Communications, gave an overview on marketing efforts and how the company is taking advantage of several social media outlets to reach producers and to recruit for their 25 to 30 annual intern positions. Vierthaler discussed strategies that have been successful, as well as strategies that were a work in progress.

Randy Royle, Laboratory Director, oversees the three Servi-Tech labs located in Amarillo, Texas, Hastings, Neb., and Dodge City. Royle discussed ways laboratory functions have changed as technology evolves, as well as how the company has had to adapt to producer needs. Following a lunch provided by Servi-Tech, members were given a five dollar chip to be used at the new Dodge City Resort and Casino for their participation. Ron Metzger, Mid-America Ag Network, was the winner of the $100 casino chip given as a door prize.

written by Amy Beeler Herman, Amy Beeler Herman Communications

High optimism for the agricultural industry was the key take-away message from the opening session of the NAMA 2010 Trends in Agriculture conference, October 5-6. Close to 150 members attended the Minneapolis event and heard Mark Pearson, Iowa Public Television’s Market to Market host, and Jay Lehr of the Heartland Institute cite the expected doubling of the world population by 2050 as the primary reason the agriculture industry will thrive. One of agriculture’s biggest challenges, according to both speakers, is ensuring that adverse public opinion and regulation does not thwart the industry from providing food for the world.

From the standpoint of commodities, Pearson sees bullish markets for each major crop for the next couple of years including corn, soybeans, wheat and rice. “The game changer for corn is ethanol,” he says. Referencing good US oil supplies, Pearson says tax credits given to ethanol blenders may be in jeopardy during the next congressional session. While bullish grain markets benefited crop farmers in recent years, livestock growers endured high feed costs and low market prices. Pearson notes a coming change: “the current cow herd is the smallest since 1950,” he says. “With no new production, beef prices will jump dramatically.” In the hog industry high feed prices and the H1N1 health scare triggered a reduction in sow numbers and eliminated inefficient production facilities to create a more robust pork market in 2010.

In the long term, continued gains in technology add to the productivity and prosperity of the agriculture industry. “Biotechnology is how agriculture will feed the world,” Lehr says. Crop plants improved with biotechnology require fewer inputs including less land and water needed for production. Other high return technological advancements such as precision agriculture and no-till farming reduce wear and tear on machinery, use less fuel and benefit the environment by reducing erosion and improving soil tilth.

Oil and energy supplies will continue to trouble the agriculture industry and the world as populations in China, India and other countries increasingly become middle-class and energy demands grow. “Ethanol, biodiesel, wind and solar power have no future in supplying significant amounts of energy,” Lehr says. “Eventually the whole world will run on nuclear power.”

Both Lehr and Pearson encouraged NAMA members to talk about agriculture and help growers share their stories about farming to counter the influence of environmental activism on public opinion and government policy. “The biggest problem for agriculture is the public does not realize we are environmental stewards,” Lehr says. “As long as the public thinks ag hurts the environment, the industry will be regulated even more.”