Attendees had a fantastic time on the Chicago Ag Tour at Fair Oaks Farms! There was a full bus with 55 attendees on the drive to Fair Oaks, Indiana. Once there, attendees got to see a baby calf only minutes after her birth in the Fair Oaks Birthing Barn.

Afterwards, attendees went to the new Pig Adventure to see the growing, farrowing and gestation barns. There they had a one-on-one interview with a pig expert who was holding a newborn piglet.

Next, the group toured the Dairy Adventure. The bus drove through the open bars and educated the passengers on Fair Oaks’ unique, sustainable process. The group also saw their amazing rotary milking parlor where they can milk 75 cows at a time!

To finish off the day, attendees had dinner in the Farmhouse Restaurant. Carl Bruggemeier, restaurant managing partner, and Gary Corbett, CEO, shared the story of the making of their operation.

Check out photos of the Ag Tour and the Fall Conference on Flickr.

Midterm elections will prove to be very exciting this fall as several key seats are up for re-election nationwide. Jay Truitt is the CEO of Policy Solutions a Washington, D.C. based consulting firm. He spoke at the NAMA 2014 Fall Conference in Chicago, and shared some insights about how to communicate with policy makers and an insiders view of issues and implications of the midterm elections as the results could impact livestock and food industry policy.

The tour is almost full and it’s not hard to see why! The location for the Chicago Ag Tour this year is amazing; you do not want to miss it!

The tour takes place the day before the NAMA Fall Conference. We will be departing from The Hotel Chicago on Monday, September 15^th at 12:00 p.m. Lunch will be served on the bus while we are on the way to Fair Oaks Farms where we will be spending the day.

During the tour, you will get the opportunity to see Fair Oaks Farms’ 30,000 cow dairy operation. You will learn how the cows are cared for and visit the rotary milking parlor to learn about this unique milking technology. Then, you will head over to the Pig Adventure to see the interactive displays and observe the gestation and farrowing operations.

The last stop is at the new Farmhouse Restaurant, Bakery and Farmers Market at Fair Oaks Farms where you will get the opportunity to tour the kitchen and interact with the chefs. These chefs will then serve dinner with food produced on-site that is prepared in its completely viewable kitchen.

For a more detailed schedule and to register, visit the NAMA Fall Conference website.

The ABEF Media Auction is moving to the Fall!  Please support ABEF and donate a media package to the Fall auction.  Deadline to donate is September 10.  Other items will continue to be auctioned at the April conference. Click here to donate

There are still plenty of spots open on the 2014 Chicago NAMA Chapter Ag Tour! The tour takes place the day before the NAMA Fall Conference. We will be departing from The Hotel Chicago on Monday, September 15^th at 12:00 p.m. Lunch will be served on the bus while we are on the way to Fair Oaks Farms where we will be spending the day.

During the tour, you will get the opportunity to see Fair Oaks Farms’ 30,000 cow dairy operation. You will learn how the cows are cared for and visit the rotary milking parlor to learn about this unique milking technology. Then, you will head over to the Pig Adventure to see the interactive displays and observe the gestation and farrowing operations.

The last stop is at the new Farmhouse Restaurant, Bakery and Farmers Market at Fair Oaks Farms where you will get the opportunity to tour the kitchen and interact with the chefs. These chefs will then serve dinner with food produced on-site that is prepared in its completely viewable kitchen.

For a more detailed schedule and to register,  visit the NAMA Fall Conference website.

The 2014 NAMA Fall Conference will be here before you know it! And attendance is looking great – the NAMA block at The Hotel Chicago is currently at capacity! We have another block of rooms available at a rate of  $289/night with a 2 night stay.  Please call the hotel to get this rate, it is not available online, the number is (312) 245-0333.

Here is a look at two of this year’s keynote speakers:

Jon Petz, engagement expert, will teach you how to make the most out of every meeting, phone call and basically any daily activity. His clients include the US Air Force, IBM, ABC, Marriott – the list goes on! He is also the author of several books including Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out of Your Meetings, or Get Out of More Meetings and The Best of the Best.

Bob Langert, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at McDonald’s Corp., will close out your Fall Conference experience with a look at the major issues facing the agriculture industry in today’s world. Get a forecast for what lies ahead from an extremely experienced ag veteran.

This year’s breakout sessions will focus on what’s going on in agribusiness in today’s changing world. Sessions will include: updates on trends in agriculture, how to anticipate a PR crisis, how drones could play a part in the future of agriculture and much more. Plus you will have a great opportunity to meet the right people at the Networking Reception, sponsored by Brighton Agency. Unwind after the first day of Fall Conference in the amazing Crimson Lounge of The Hotel Chicago.

See you in the Windy City on September 16^th & 17^th for the best Fall Conference yet!

For a full schedule, registration details, hotel information and anything else you need to know, visit the Fall Conference 2014 website.

Summer is coming to an end… but that can be a good thing because that means it is almost time for the NAMA Fall Conference!

This year NAMA is taking you to Downtown Chicago for your next dose of agri-marketing education. We have a great line-up for you this year so you do not want to miss it.

The keynote speaker this year is Steve Hughes, founder and President of Hit Your Stride LLC, who has made it his mission to help people look and sound smart when presenting to a crowd. Everyone has sat through at least one of those boring PowerPoint presentations where you zone out and don’t learn a thing. But Steve Hughes is going to put those ineffective presentations to an end. Don’t miss out on his great tips and tricks for a better presentation.

This year’s breakout sessions will focus on what’s going on in agribusiness in today’s changing world. Sessions will include: updates on trends in agriculture, how to anticipate a PR crisis, how drones could play a part in the future of agriculture and much more. Plus you will have a great opportunity to meet the right people at the Networking Reception, sponsored by Brighton Agency. Unwind after the first day of Fall Conference in the amazing Crimson Lounge of The Hotel Chicago.

See you in the Windy City on September 16^th & 17^th for the best Fall Conference yet!

For a full schedule, registration details, hotel information and anything else you need to know visit the Fall Conference 2014 website.