The deadline for submitting nominations for the Agribusiness Leader of the Year and the NAMA Marketer of the year is this Friday, Jan. 20! Both awards will be presented at the 2006 Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show, April 19-21 in Kansas City.

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 honors an outstanding leader in agribusiness, education, government service or other agribusiness related areas. 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. Nominees do not need to be NAMA members.

Download the Agribusiness Leader Nomination form in an Adobe .PDF format by visiting, http://www.nama.org/awards/agbusapplication.pdf.

NAMA Marketer of the Year
NAMA recognizes 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 directly to ag producers. Nominees are solicited from agribusiness and related companies with overall marketing and/or sales responsibilities. Nominees MUST be NAMA members.

Download the NAMA Marketer of the Year nomination form in an Adobe .PDF format by visiting, http://www.nama.org/awards/mktrapplication.pdf.

For more information on the awards and to see past winners, visit, http://www.nama.org/awards/awards-index.html.

David Garst, former president of the Garst Seed Company, Coon Rapids, Iowa died at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa on January 9, 2006. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, February 4, 2006 at the Methodist Church in Coon Rapids with Rev. Lynn Gunderson officiating. Burial will be in the Coon Rapids Cemetery near Coon Rapids. Funeral arrangements are under the arrangement of Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Glidden.

Born in 1926, David Garst was the son of seed corn pioneer Roswell Garst and his wife Elizabeth. He overcame childhood dyslexia to become a gifted writer and speaker. Though his college career was interrupted by two years of service in the U.S. Army, in 1949 Garst graduated from Stanford University, married his college sweetheart, Georgeanne “Jo” Orenstein in her native Hilo, Hawaii, and returned to Coon Rapids where he raised his family and pursued a long and illustrious career in agriculture.

By the late 1950’s Garst turned over their farming partnership to his brother Stephen, and devoted his energies full time to the Garst & Thomas Hybrid Corn Company. He assumed the duties of Sales and Marketing Manager from his father in 1961 and became President and Director of Sales and Marketing in 1982 when the Pioneer Hybrid Seed Company ended its relationship with Garst & Thomas. David was instrumental in having the Garst family buy out its Thomas family partners and in founding the Garst Seed Company.

Under his leadership, Garst Seed achieved universal awareness among the nation’s farmers, expanded its marketing area fivefold and regained the sales volume lost by the split. For these achievements David Garst became the nation’s best known seedsman and in 1987 was awarded its highest award – The National Agricultural Marketer of the Year – by the National Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA).

Garst played an important role in international relations. He helped open United States trade with Russia, Romania, and Hungary in 1956. In 1958 he became the first American since 1948 to visit Bulgaria and was credited with reestablishing diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the United States. The relationships formed in these years led eventually to his being invited by the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Food in 1990 to visit their country to study their problems and advise them on how to privatize their farms. He was also committed to helping Romania achieve Most Favored Nation status.

A lifelong member, activist and fund raiser for the Democratic Party, in the 1976 Iowa caucuses, Garst was an active promoter of then little-known Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. In 1978, President Carter appointed Garst to the Board of International Food and Agriculture Development and also to his Presidential Mission on Agricultural Development in Central America and the Caribbean. This mission provided the underlying basis for the Caribbean Basin Initiative, the USA’s first free trade agreement in the Western Hemisphere.

Throughout his career, Garst was active in the National Corn Growers Association and was instrumental in starting chapters in Missouri, Colorado and South Dakota. He became a Director of the US Feed Grain Council in 1962 and served with distinction until his retirement in 1991. He was a founding member and member of the Board of Governors of the American Society of Agricultural Consultants; on the Board of Governors of the Agricultural Hall of Fame, a founding member of the Iowa and Nebraska NAMA chapters, and a lifetime member of the American Legion.

In recent years Garst continued his consulting work on agricultural issues and as an activist in the Democratic Party. He campaigned vigorously for peace and was proud of his contribution to and appearance in the 2004 anti-war documentary “Rush to War” by Robert Taicher.

Survivors include his wife Marilyn of Glidden, sons: Sam Garst and his wife Chris of Lacey, Washington; Jim Garst of Imlay, Nevada; daughter Sallee Haerr and her husband Richard Haerr of Fairfield; 17 grandchildren and great grandchildren; and his step-children. Also surviving are sisters Jane Kamps of California, Antonia Lee and her husband Harold of London, England; and a sister Mary Garst of California; and many nieces, nephews and friends. David Garst was preceded in death by his parents, a son Stuart in 1961, his first wife ‘Jo’ in 1984, his brother Stephen in 2004 and his first cousin John Chrystal in 2000.

This year’s conference will celebrate change, flexibility, and growth…realities that define our industry.

The 2006 Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show, April 19-21 in Kansas City, will bring together agricultural leaders from across the nation to share lessons learned and visions for the future.

Kicking off the conference sessions will be Opening General Session speaker, James Canton, PhD and chairman of The Institute for Global Futures, with The Extreme Future: Top Trends that will Reshape Business and Society. Canton will share key trends shaping the 21st Century – and offer insights on how to manage this evolution. This powerful presentation provides a strategic overview of the top changes that will shape tomorrow’s leaders, business and the economy.

Dr. Canton has served as a commentator on CNN, Financial News, where his insightful coverage has earned him the nickname, “The Digital Guru.” Dr. Canton ‘s innovative vision of the future has appeared in Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Report, The New York Times, US News and World Report, and numerous magazines targeted to CEOs, CFOs and CIOs. He is the author of Technofutures, a book acclaimed as a blueprint for how innovation will shape the future of business in the 21st Century. His new book, Extreme Future, will be available in early 2006. This session will take place, Thursday, April 20 at 9:00 a.m.

Laura Ries, president of Ries & Ries, will explore communications in this time of extreme change in the Second General Session, The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR. According to Ries, advertising doesn’t build brands, publicity does. She fervently believes it’s only the credibility of public relations that truly builds a brand in the minds of consumers. This session will provide valuable ideas for all marketers to consider: advertising’s credibility crisis and the role of PR in building credibility; PR’s slow build-up approach vs. advertising’s “Big Bang”; and advertising’s role in maintaining the brand once it has been established through publicity.

Laura has appeared on the Fox News Channel, CNBC, ABC World News Tonight and makes regular appearances as a branding expert on CNN. She is a frequently quoted marketing expert in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Associated Press, Advertising Age and other publications. In 2002, Business 2.0 named Laura a “management guru” and issued trading cards with her picture and information. This session will take place on Thursday, April 20 at 11:00 a.m.

For information regarding the 2006 Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show visit, www.nama.org/amc.

To register for the 2006 Agri-Marketing Conference visit, https://nama.org/amc/register.html.

January 12 was a big night in downtown Des Moines, IA. Not only was there a George Strait concert but there was also a chamber dinner for over 3,000 people. But the biggest event of the evening was the Region III Best of NAMA Ceremony held at Hy-Vee Hall. Over 130 attendees battled the crowds to attend the event which awards the best work from the North Central, Cornbelt, Iowa and Northern Prairie Chapters of NAMA.

The event was emceed by WHO Radio’s, Ken Root, who delivered the information with his usual style and flair. Awards were handed out in 69 categories with three Best of Show awards being given as follows:

Best of Show Advertising
New Holland North America
Colle+McVoy
New Holland “Future” Campaign

Best of Show Public Relations
West Central Cooperative
Innova Ideas & Services
Advance. Excel. Prosper. Succeed.

Best of Show Specialty
Pfizer, Inc.
Brown + Associates
Solitude IGR “Your Flies Are Down” Intro Campaign

All first place and merit winners are eligible to advance to the national judging in February and will be notified by February 1 with instructions on advancement.

For information regarding other Regional or Chapter Best of NAMA Ceremonies, visit www.nama.org/amc/bon/calendar.htm

Have you been wanting an iPod? Now’s your chance! New members who join NAMA between January 1 and April 20, 2006 will be entered into a drawing for a 30 GB Video iPod. In addition, existing NAMA members who recruit these new members will also be entered into the drawing.

The drawing for the iPod will take place at the Trade Show Closing Reception on Thursday, April 20. Start recruiting members today and take home your new iPod after the conference.

Special thanks to AgWired.com for sponsoring this promotion!

Through the NAMA Student Careers Program, the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) provides students with the opportunities to apply text book lessons to real world situations through programs like the student marketing competition and the scholarship program (which awards over $10,000 in scholarships each year).

For many student members, their association with NAMA goes beyond college. Many continue their participation on the professional level, helping their peers as well as hundreds of students involved in NAMA at the college level every year.

How can you offer support? The ABEF offers a couple of events in-conjunction with the Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show each year to raise money for the Careers program. These events are the Golf Outing prior to the conference and the Silent Auction in the Trade Show.

The ABEF Golf Outing will take place April 18 at the WinterStone Golf Course in Kansas City. Just by registering for the golf outing or even sponsoring a hole you are helping to support the Careers program.

For more information on the ABEF Golf Outing, to become a sponsor, or to register visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/golf.htm.

The success of the Silent Auction proves our association is eager to contribute to the growth and enhancement of the profession of agri-marketing. We ask you to please show your support and donate what you can (minimum of $50 value suggested). Any worthwhile product or service will be gratefully accepted. Some of the most popular items auctioned in past years have included: Framed and limited edition artwork; Media packages for broadcast, print & Internet; Professional services; Premiums and wearables; Collectibles; Sports tickets and memorabilia.

To make a donation to the ABEF Silent Auction, please fill out the on-line donation form at http://www.nama.org/abef/silentauction/pledgeform.htm.

The ABEF is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation and your donation may be deductible as a charitable contribution for tax purposes, just check with your tax advisor. Thank you in advance for your support of the Student NAMA Careers Program.

As you know, recognizing and celebrating agriculture is an important commitment we should all make. Far too few Americans truly understand the role of agriculture in their everyday lives and that lack of awareness creates many challenges for our industry.

That’s why the Agriculture Council of America has developed the Ag Day Planning Guide, the annual Ag Day Poster and the Ag Fact Cards, to help concerned organizations and individuals like you make the most of your Ag Day event, and in doing so, improve the understanding about agriculture nationwide.

If you are planning to host an Ag Day Event or if you would like to order Ag Day Materials, visit, https://nama.org/aca/onlineform.htm or call the Agriculture Council of America at 913-491-1895 to order.

Join the Agriculture Council of America and NAMA in celebrating National Ag Week, March 19-25 and National Ag Day, March 20, 2006! Good luck in your celebrations