Get the company recognition to match your marketing or PR objectives by sponsoring a session or event at the 2007 Agribusiness Forum, November 13-14 in Kansas City.

As a sponsor of the Agribusiness Forum, your organization will be noted as a front runner in supporting up-to-the-moment industry information. Additional benefits include: Recognition in the program booklet, and from the podium during the session; Recognition by signage at the sponsored event (if applicable); Recognition in post-forum articles in the AgriMarketing magazine; Recognition on the NAMA Agribusiness Forum Web site page; and, first right of refusal for sponsorship of the same item for next year’s Agribusiness Forum.

If you are interested in sponsoring a session or event at this year’s Forum, contact Jenny Pickett in the NAMA office at (913) 491-6500 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Again this year, the NAMA Agribusiness Forum takes place prior to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention. The Forum will take place at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center which is near the NAFB hotel.

Just a reminder to mark your calendars for the following upcoming events and deadlines:

NAMA Boot Camp: August 21-23, 2007
Professional Development Awards of Excellence Deadline: September 1, 2007
Best of NAMA Entry Deadline: October 12, 2007
2007 Agribusiness Forum: November 13-14, 2007

Keep watching the National NAMA e-News for more information on the Boot Camp, Awards of Excellence, Best of NAMA Call for Entries and the Agribusiness Forum.

Just a reminder to mark your calendars for the Best of NAMA Entry Deadline, October 12, 2007. In addition, the 2007 Agribusiness Forum will take place November 13-14, in Kansas City.

The Agribusiness Forum will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. Once again, the Forum will dovetail the Regional Best of NAMA judging and the NAFB convention.

Keep watching the National NAMA e-News for the activities and sessions happening at the Forum.

It’s time to begin thinking about who to nominate for the 2007 Professional Development Awards of Excellence. The deadline for submitting nominations is August 31, 2007. These awards will be presented at the 2007 Agribusiness Forum, November 13-14, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

These awards honor NAMA members based on outstanding achievement in each of the Professional Development Areas (PDA): (1) Marketing Communications; (2) Product/Species Management; (3) Public Relations; and (4) Sales. Nominees 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.

The deadline for submitting nominations is August 31. If you have any questions regarding these awards, please contact Jenny Pickett at [email protected].

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

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

Just a reminder to mark your calendars for the 2007 Agribusiness Forum, November 13-14 in Kansas City. The Agribusiness Forum will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. Once again, the Forum will dovetail the Regional Best of NAMA judging and the NAFB convention.

Keep watching the National NAMA e-News for the activities and sessions happening at the Forum.

The 2006 Agribusiness Forum is now in the history books, but you can hear the speaker audio recordings and view the PowerPoint slides through this site. 

Attendees were emailed a password to access the files at no cost.  Others may access the files for a fee.  Click here to go to the presentation order page. 

If you attended the Agribusiness Forum and have yet to fill out the on-line survey, please visit http://www.nama.org/forum/survey.htm.

Noted economist and Washington observer, Jim Wiesemeyer, kicked off the 2006 Agribusiness Forum, November 14-15, in Kansas City. Wiesemeyer and Forum attendees looked at the Global Forces Shaping Agriculture.

What are some of the major factors shaping our ag market environment? Wiesemeyer stated that higher interest rates are here and it’s having an impact on the housing market and the consumer to a degree. There have been 17 consecutive rate increases that ended in June and now they’re on hold. Wiesemeyer believes the next move will be lower rates because of the somewhat weak economy, the dollar situation, etc. In addition, he says we are in a recession that is hopefully just a growth recession because of the global repercussions of our downward growth.

Wiesemeyer also discussed the progress and condition of the 2007 crops. “Acreage volatility is the biggest market factor and has been for the last 2 months,” says Wiesemeyer. He predicts it will be a roller coaster ride in the spring as the market tries to bid the adequate amount of corn acres, how few soybean acres we can deal with, and the price of wheat because of the considerable increase in the number of acres of wheat.

He predicts that the prospects for agriculture remain favorable over the next five years. Wiesemeyer says that agriculture as an energy crop is here to stay, but the renewable fuel demand will force significant realignment with energy prices remaining a wild card. He also predicts that ethanol production will increase 85% over the next five years and corn utilized for ethanol could increase 60%.

One fundamental change that should be watched is that for the first time foreigners will sell more to the U.S. than U.S. citizens provide revenue to the government. Within the next 15-20 years, China will surpass the U.S. on GDP.

Jim Wiesemeyer is Vice President of Policy and Trade Issues for Informa Economics Inc.’s Washington, D.C. office. He is also the Washington consultant to the Pro Farmer newsletter. Besides writing for Informa Economics’ daily Morning Comments, Jim has a column, Inside Washington Today, on AgWeb.com.