The deadline for submitting nominations for the Professional Development Awards of Excellence is July 20, 2010. These awards will be presented at the 2010 Trends In Agriculture meeting, October 5-6, at The Marquette Hotel in Minneapolis, MN.

The Professional Development Awards of Excellence were created in 2001 to demonstrate NAMA’s commitment to the four professional development areas.

Below is a list of the past Awards of Excellence recipients:

Marketing Communications
2009 – Lou Ireland
2008 – Paul Redhage
2007 – Pete Kovac
2006 – Steve Engle
2005 – Bev Larson
2004 – Neil DeStefano
2003 – Sarah Vacek
2002 – Ken Anderson
2001 – Doug Headley

Product/Species Management
2009 – Gary Robertson
2008 – No award was given in this area
2007 – Klaas Okkinga
2006 – No award was given in this area
2005 – Dennis Gehler
2004 – Wendy Elliott
2003 – Brian Markwardt
2002 – Tony Klemm
2001 – Tony Solon

Public Relations
2009 – Deron Johnson
2008 – Beth Andersen
2007 – Greg Smith
2006 – Barry Nelson
2005 – Janice Person
2004 – Kendal Frazier
2003 – Mike Ricciuto
2002 – David Buchholz
2001 – Ken Gordon

Sales
2009 – Pete Weil
2008 – Vernon Benes
2007 – Bill Heffron
2006 – Anita Vanderwert
2005 – Margaret Wallace Oldham
2004 – Allen Barkve
2003 – Cliff Becker
2002 – Bob Deiss
2001 – Tom Taylor

Nominees for the Awards of Excellence must be NAMA members. Nominators should target individuals with direct planning and execution responsibilities in the respective Professional Development Area from agribusiness and related companies. If you have any questions regarding these awards, please contact Jenny Pickett at jennyp@nama.org.

To download the nomination form in an Adobe .PDF format, visit http://www.nama.org/awards/2010PDAapplication.pdf.

You can also fill out the form on-line at http://www.nama.org/awards/pdaonlineform.htm.

How do you differentiate your brand against competitors with bigger budgets and marketing departments? Embrace who you are and play to it, according to the presenter at the Iowa Chapter’s last meeting on May 21.

Shannon Latham of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, an independent soybean, corn and alfalfa seed company based in Alexander, Iowa, provided a case-study look at how the company’s small-budget marketing and communications campaigns (including social media, internal and dealer communications) have created big time results. Shannon is responsible for the company’s marketing, communications and event planning initiatives that target internal and external audiences.

Learn more by visiting www.lathamseeds.com, and check out Shannon’s blog at www.thefieldposition.com.

The MoKan Chapter met over lunch at the Webster House in Kansas City on May 25 for a lesson on how to best understand and utilize social media.  Adam Coome, President of Infegy, Inc., presented “Analyzing Social Media – Measuring Success and Utilizing Results.”  Infegy, Inc. is the developer of Social Radar, a web insights and social media research analytics platform.

Social Radar, created by Infegy and used by businesses and politicians, tracks over 4 billion conversations and the software can be used to analyze conversation sentiment – positivity and negativity of feedback.  Coome noted that the sentiment gauge is 85+% accurate, the highest in the industry.  An example he shared with the audience was that a recent Gallup Poll took 2 days to survey 3026 people whereas Infegy analyzed 10,000 social media messages in less than 30 seconds for the same results.

Thanks to all who attended the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 21-23, in Kansas City! This year’s conference attendance was the highest in 10 years!

If you were at the conference and have not yet filled out the online survey, please do so at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=llIfMHX5o9XJcRdqbR_2bTYg_3d_3d. Your response is greatly appreciated!

If you were unable to join us in Kansas City for the conference, take a look at the highlights on the NAMA blog at www.namablog.org.

For a list of the Best of NAMA winners from the conference, please visit http://www.agrimarketingdigital.com for a complete list of winners.

For photo highlights from the conference, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/namaflickr/collections/72157623950490478/. Special thanks to Denny Eilers, Iowa Photo Farm, for taking photo’s.

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) concluded a wildly successful conference on Friday, April 23, 2010.

Boasting the highest attendance numbers in a decade, the mood at the conference was decidedly upbeat.

“The economy is looking better compared to last year, and people’s attitudes are very positive,” shared Jenny Pickett, NAMA Executive Vice President/CEO. “And since Kansas City is so centrally located, it was easier for more people to attend.”

Another important ingredient in the conference’s success was the stellar program packed with well-known speakers.

David Meerman Scott got the conference underway with “The New Rules of Marketing and PR.” His witty and fast-paced presentation challenged conference goers to “think differently” and earn the attention of interested markets. Scott emphasized that posting videos, writing blogs and being active in social media channels is essentially free. He shared real world examples of how businesses are becoming shrewd users of these new tools to gain more awareness and better ROIs.

Attendees were regaled with the folksy energy and wisdom of Andy Andrews during the second general session. Andrews is a spellbinding storyteller and kept the crowd engaged with his stories, anecdotes and observations. He peppered his conversation with golden rule tips to help everyone in the audience, regardless of their profession, become more successful.

Paul Mobley closed the conference with photographs and candid vignettes of life on the American farm. Mobley traveled over 100,000 miles through 37 states to complete his book, American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country. He complimented farmers and ranchers, saying “you rise every day with a love of the land and an integrity of spirit.”

This year’s conference also featured breakout sessions on social media, branding, trade show marketing, public relations and more. In addition, 2010 NAMA Agribusiness Leader of the Year, Dave Seehusen, and Marketer of the Year, Stephanie Liska, received their distinguished awards during the conference.

Best of NAMA awards were distributed the evening before the conference began. Best of Show Advertising went to Sullivan, Higdon Sink for their work for the Midwest Dairy Association.  Best of Show Public Relations went to Dairy Management, Inc. and agency Weber Shandwick.

NAMA conference planning committee members look forward to more well attended conferences in the future, as they plan to host in Kansas City for the next three years.

“The Connection Point was livelier than ever this year and there were more ways for people to get involved and network,” said Pickett. “We hope to expand on the success of 2010 and look forward to more great conferences in the future.”

How marketers can take advantage of new Social Media
written by Mike Gustafson, Deer’s Landing Communication

According to David Meerman Scott, opening session Keynote Speaker,
consumers are demanding information and messages that are more relevant to them. Plus, channels continue to proliferate with Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, texting, e-books and many other apps. So, how can marketers harness the power of these new rules of marketing and PR? David shared some ideas.

David insists that marketers must unlearn what they have learned. First, buyer persona, not product features, is the key. Different buyers have a completely different point view of what they want and need. A tricycle, for example, could be sold in different ways to parents versus grandparents. Neither of which would be the actual user, a child who would see that tricycle in a completely different way.

Secondly, marketers should earn attention by publishing information online. But not just any information. Publish something interesting and make it free. Then, encourage others to share that information or story by speaking to your buyers in their language and with real-life photos. David called this, “word of mouse.” Remember, though, that no one cares about your product or service except you. You cannot coerce people to share.

Finally, don’t be afraid to lose control of your marketing and messaging. You can manage some risk of viral marketing by going where your prospects are – Facebook, Twitter, and chat rooms. You can create triggers such as videos and contests that encourage others to share. And, you should always point the world to your virtual doorstep.

Many thanks to ABM Agri Council for sponsoring this informative and entertaining opening general session.

Words of Wisdom From a ‘Noticer’
written by Mike Gustafson, Deer’s Landing Communication

No one attending the second session would ever tell you that Andy Andrews lacked energy. He insisted that he was not a motivational speaker. Still, his personal stories were so engaging, his enthusiasm so remarkable, that everyone surely left the session knowing they had met someone special and were committed to following his advice.

That advice was rooted in a time when Andy was 19 years old, penniless and homeless after losing both parents. He lived under a highway overpass, bathed in the Holiday Inn pool, and took odd jobs to survive.  It was under that overpass that Andy met ‘Jones,’ a man who would challenge him to be better, to read, to discover himself, and to become a ‘noticer.’

One of the things Andy has noticed over the years: everything is a matter of perspective. Perspective brings calm. Calm brings understanding. Understanding leads to creativity. Creativity opens the door to answers.

Named by one New York Times writer as “a modern-day Will Rogers,” Andrews charmed the audience with stories and personal comments. He wrapped up by offering the two great ways to be great: 1) Smile while you talk; 2) Recognize people. By doing so, you will be that someone others will want to be around, to help, and to encourage.

Said Andy, “Even in the darkest times, there is proof of hope. You’re still breathing which means you’re still alive. So you still have a purpose in this world. The best is yet to come.”

This remarkable and unforgettable session was sponsored by Syngenta.