NAMA would like to welcome 87 new members since January 1, 2009. Please join us in welcoming our new members!

At Large
Rachel Faust, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Ltd.
Darren Palendat, Novozymes Biologicals
Dastina Johnson, USDA/NRCS
Daniel Cote, Producteur Plus
Scott Campbell, Syngenta Crop Protection

Badger
Jennifer Rabitz, Alltech
Kevin Klubertanz, Digi-Star
Amy Richards, Charleston/Orwig
Dean Helmke, Equity Brand Design
Charles Skendziel, Equity Brand Design
Brant Ausenhus, Bader Rutter & Associates
Cal Krisher, Wisconsin State Farmer
Nesh Malinovic, Bader Rutter & Associates

CAMA Alberta
Jason Forster, CRVG

CAMA Ontario
Ross Gill, Gill Agribusiness
Christopher Johnston, Glacier Ag Products

Carolinas/Virginia
Courtney Beck, Howard, Merrell & Partners
Clifford Perry, Bayer CropScience
Kylee Birchenough, Technekes

Chesapeake
Caitlin Sheffer, University of Delaware

Chicago
Laura Schmidt, Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Comm.
Paul D’Anna, Farm Journal Media
Bekah McCurdy, BFI Innovations, Inc.
Chris Dillman, Kincannon & Reed

Florida
Diann Ilkenhons, Senninger Irrigation, Inc.

Gateway
Rick Tolman, Natl. Corn Growers Assn.
Katie Smith, Osborn & Barr Comm.
Cheryl Bergeron, Osborn & Barr Comm.
Mary Hagan, Osborn & Barr Comm.

Great Plains
Ed Frey, Farm Credit of the Heartland

Heartland
Katherine O’Hara, USDA/ARS – Natl. Ctr. Agr. Utilization Research
Rodney Riech, Brandt Consolidated, Inc.
Philip McCutchan, AgriGold

Iowa
Liz Smith, The Scoular Company
Brian Sexton
Dwight Fritts, Hellman

Mid-America
Megan Sheridan, Center for Food & Agricultural Business – Purdue Univ.
April Sauer, Center for Food & Agricultural Business – Purdue Univ.
Lindsey Miller, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America
Adam Manwarren, Dow AgroSciences
Liza Markle, National FFA Organization
Emily Myers, Farm World Newspaper

Midlands
Terry Anderson, Midwest Producer/Midwest Messenger
Joanna Pope, USDA/NRCS
Kyla Wize, Nebraska Pork Producers Assn.
Dee Peterson, Nebraska Pork Producers Assn.

Midsouth
Michael Park, University of Tennessee-Martin

MoKan
Stephanie Meyers, Osborn & Barr Comm.
Oscar Will, Ogden Publications
Rob Tremble, Vance Publishing
Eric McEwen
Tom Sizemore, John Deere
Danielle Deitch, Ag Career Spotter
Stephanie Pruitt, Nicholson Kovac
Sarah Jolliff, Avatar Studios
Michael McCrave, Saepio Technologies

North Central
Matthew Bradford, DTN/The Progressive Farmer
Terri Fast, AgStar Financial Services
Cheri Jensen, AgStar Financial Services
Sasha Beckrich, Martin/Williams
James Gustafson, InHouse Media
Jennifer Ringler, Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl., Inc.
Tim Holmes, Campbell Mithun
Marie Jacobsen, Martin/Williams
Matt Falck, AgPhD
Joe Gustafson, AgPhD
Mike Dowling, Paulsen
Alicia DeGeest, Paulsen
Kathy Albarella, Albarella Design

Northern Prairie
Leslie Prins, AGWEEK

Rocky Mountain
Courtney Gaudet, Trimble Navigation
Sara Konkel, Natl. Cattlemen’s Beef Assn.
Tom Morgan, Consultant

Southeastern
Tim Byrne, Main Street Management Group, LLC
Susan Otten, AGCO Corp.
Brenda Ourada, Deere & Company
Robert Castleberry, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health
Jana Korn, Merial, Ltd.
Beckie Peskin, Merial, Ltd.

Southwest
Nancy Gill, Superior Productions
Greg Wilson, National Country Market

Western Pacific
Leslie Wahongan, Jain Irrigation, Inc./Acu-Drip
Steven Knudsen, Intl. Agri-Center
Jake Mortensen, AgraQuest
Remi Lohse, AgraQuest
Jeff Reynolds, Rizen Creative Co.

Hawk’s View Golf Club in Lake Geneva, WI, was the setting for the Badger/Chicago/Cornbelt Chapters’ Annual Golf Outing on Thursday, May 21.

There was a great turnout of 44 golfers. The winning team was comprised of Jim Van Proosdy, Priority AIC; Gary Vorpahl, Hoard’s Dairyman; Dick Burckhardt, Western Plows; and Mike McFarland, of the McFarland Group. A wonderful dinner buffet and awards were enjoyed afterwards by the golfers and additional guests.

The chapters appreciate the support of Penton Media, the beverage cart sponsor, and Bader Rutter, who provided the use of their new online registration system. Hole sponsors included Accelerated Genetics, Bock & Associates, Charleston|Orwig, Dairy Herd Management, Hoard’s Dairyman, Iowa Farmer Today, Open Roads, Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications, and World Dairy Expo.

Kathie Thomas, Director of Innovation, Fleishman-Hillard, was a panel participant for the breakout session, Tapping The Power of Innovation to Create Sizzling Solutions, at the 2009 Agri-Marketing Conference. If you missed that session at the conference, you’ll want to sign-up for this webinar!

Thursday, May 21, 2009 ~ 1:00 p.m. (CENTRAL TIME)
How To Spread Innovation Across A Willing-But-Distracted Organization

Surveys show that top managers of global corporations are convinced that innovation and creativity are critical to the future success of their companies. However, these same managers are sometimes slow to implement the training, tools, and process changes needed to support the spread of innovation throughout their organizations. While their intentions are good, the ever-present demands of customers, investors, and other stakeholders just keep getting in the way. What can you do to move innovation from your organization’s wish list to the top of its to-do list? Fleishman-Hillard Director of Innovation, Kathie Thomas, offers a lively, interactive session, packed with proven tips and strategies on how to inspire and promote innovation in a well-intentioned, but distracted, organization.

This practical workshop is designed to help you:

• Identify your company’s innovation hot button
• Enlist senior management support
• Successfully pollinate innovation throughout your organization
• Build awareness and inspire employee engagement
• Create easy-to-use tools
• Evaluate results

You’ll come away equipped to develop a practical roadmap for nurturing a climate of creativity that consistently converts fresh thinking to competitive advantage.

To register visit https://payment.nama.org/webinar.htm.

Mark your calendars for the 6th Annual NAMA Boot Camp that will take place August 18-20, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

Enlist in the Boot Camp to learn more about agri-marketing! Did you attend last year? If so, we want you back! This year’s program is a perfect continuation of the previous programs. Topics will include:

Networking
A Day in the Life of a Crop Producer
A Day in the Life of a Cow/Calf Producer
A Day in the Life of a Specialty Producer
Social Marketing
The Big, Scary Communications Plan
Producer Panel
Pitching To Ag Media
How To Deal with a Client & How To Make the Agency Do What You Want
Retailer Panel
Jedi Marketing

Come in early and attend the optional MoKan Ag Tour! All Boot Camp attendees will receive a notebook packed with ag terminology and facts as well as case studies and speaker presentations.

To register for the NAMA Boot Camp and/or the MoKan Ag Tour, visit https://payment.nama.org/bootcamp09.htm.
If you are interested in sponsoring a session or event at the NAMA Boot Camp, please fill out the sponsorship confirmation form at www.nama.org/programs/bootcamp-spo.htm or contact Jenny Pickett at 913-491-6500 or via e-mail at jennyp@nama.org.

Special thanks to our current Boot Camp sponsors!

John Deere – Tuesday Evening Reception
Hoard’s Dairyman – Wednesday Continental Breakfast (co-sponsor)
High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal – Wednesday Continental Breakfast (co-sponsor)
Fastline Publications – Resource Notebook
Farm Industry News – Thursday Morning Break
Osborn & Barr Communications – Two Breakout Sessions
Broadhead + Co. – Promotional Materials

Mark your calendars to check out an upcoming chapter event for the spring/summer!

If you have any write-ups or photos from your previous events, please send the information to Kathi Conrad at kathic@nama.org to get it in the NAMA e-News.

May 19 ~ Midlands NAMA
Coaching Your Brand

Take an in-depth look into ways in which companies, large and small, use sports to activate brands and build long and rewarding relationships with their customers.

Award-winning broadcaster and sports marketing specialist, Jim Rose, will be addressing the topic of how to activate your brand to build long and rewarding relationships with your customers. He has created and executed winning strategies for such recognizable brands as Cabela’s, Mutual of Omaha, Dodge, BryanLGH Medical Center, Qwest, Bank of the West, The Nebraska Lottery and Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing.

The event will take place from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on May 19 at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, NE.

May 26 ~ Carolinas/Virginia NAMA
Spring Tour

Join Carolinas/Virginia NAMA for their spring tour on Sustainable Agriculture & Healthy Food for You & Your Family. The group will take tours of Cane Creek Farm and Braeburn Farm. These farms share 500 acres of pasture, housing several hundred pigs of multiple breeds, grass-fed New Zealand Red Devon cattle, chickens, ducks, turkeys, donkeys, goats, and sheep.

The event will begin at 3:15 p.m. at the farms and will last about 2 hours. Following the tour, the group will meet at 6:00 p.m. at the Olive Garden Restaurant.

Cost for the event is $15 for members and their guests. For questions or to register, please contact tour arranger Jim Haskins at phone 919-933-2327 or email abcgroup@bellsouth.net

May 28 ~ Badger/Chicago/Cornbelt NAMA
Annual Golf Outing

You’re just moments away from being registered for the golf outing with a cast of characters like none other. The NAMA Golf Outing is a tremendous opportunity to kick back and enjoy a day in the sun with other industry professionals, all while teeing it up on a world-class 18-hole championship course.

The golf outing will take place at Hawk’s View Golf Club in Lake Geneva, WI. Tee-off is at 11:00 a.m. and a cookout and golf awards will follow the outing at 4:00 p.m. Cost is $95 for golf and dinner, $80 for just golf, or $20 for just the dinner. To register visit, http://www.badgernamagolf.com/.

June 5 ~ Desert Southwest
Lunch & Learn

Join the Desert Southwest Chapter of NAMA for our monthly Lunch & Learn meeting. Meetings are held the 1st Friday of each month at different locations across the state. Remember…if you are a member and bring a non-member as a guest, your meal is always FREE!!! The topic for this month’s Lunch & Learn is Current Trends – Management Vs. Labor. Cost for the event is $10 – members/students/non-members.

For more information contact Paige Gilligan at (480) 620-5257 or at Paige@AgresticSolutions.com.

June 12 ~ Eastern NAMA
Student FFA Banquet

Please save the date JUNE 12 on your calendars. You are invited to attend the Student FFA Banquet on June 12 where NAMA East will present scholarships to two Class of 2009 graduates of the John Bowne High School Ag Education Program. This year’s winners are outstanding achievers in the fields of plant and animal sciences. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Catherine Wang, Gibbs & Soell, at 212-697-2600 ext. 1202 or at cwang@gibbs-soell.com.

June 18 ~ North Central
Golf Outing

The North Central Golf Outing is planned for Thursday, June 18. Keep checking the NAMA Calendar for the latest information on this golf outing.

June 18 ~ Ohio NAMA
Buckeye Tour

It’s been a while since we just got together and had a fun day of networking and catching up on what everyone’s up to. We’ve been discussing this fun day for a while and we finally have some details to share with you.

1. Private morning tour of the Buckeye’s (“The Horseshoe”) football stadium (approx 9:30 am -11:00 am)
2. Afternoon business day special Columbus Clippers Baseball Game (12:00 pm)

We’ll have the tour in the morning followed by some drinks and food at the ballpark. We hope to see you all for this fun-filled day!!

The RSVP’s for tickets and other details will be coming soon. Students, you’re also more than welcome to join us. Keep checking the NAMA Calendar for more information.

June 25 ~ MoKan NAMA
MoKan Golf Classic

Join MoKan NAMA for their annual Golf Classic at Falcon Lakes Golf Course in Basehor, KS. Registration for the golf outing will begin at Noon and tee off will be at 1:00 p.m. Dinner and an awards ceremony will follow the outing.
This annual fund-raiser event helps provide additional financial support for both of our student chapters; Kansas State and Northwest Missouri State. To register visit, https://payment.nama.org/mokan.html.

Make the most of your membership by taking a committee role at the chapter level or national level. Gain hands-on leadership experience that will benefit you in your professional and personal life.

Chapter and national leaders are currently recruiting committee members. If you are interested in becoming a member of a chapter or national committee fill out the online form at http://www.nama.org/leader/leaderform.htm or contact your chapter president. A list of chapter president’s can be found at http://www.nama.org/chapters/chapterlist.htm.

Note: Chapter Presidents, if you have your leaders already selected for the upcoming 2009-2010 program year, please submit them to Linda Schaefer at the NAMA office at lindas@nama.org.

NAMA named the organization’s national leadership award recipients during the Second General Session of the 2009 Agri-Marketing Conference on April 16.

The President’s Award was given to Jenny Pickett, National NAMA; Patty Travis, 5MetaCom, received the R.C. Ferguson Award; The Workhorse of the Year Award was given to Bob Wilhelm, AdFarm; Sally Behringer, Nicholson Kovac, received the Outstanding Chair Award; Kenna Rathai, Kenna B. Rathai Communications, took home the Dilworth Award for Innovation.

In addition, there were six recipients of the Horizon Award. Horizon Awards recognize achievements by up-and-coming members of the organization on local, regional and national levels. Formerly titled the Meritorious Achievement Awards, they honor the efforts of emerging NAMA leaders. The six recipients of the Horizon Awards are: Lori Strum, Strategic America; Marvin Kokes, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; Matt Coniglio, Fastline Publications; Greg Ehm, Two Rivers Marketing Group; Catherine Wang, Gibbs & Soell Public Relations; and Krista Wolf, GROWMARK.