The biggest night for the country’s agricultural marketers and communicators just got bigger. For the first time ever, the Best of NAMA Awards ceremony will be nationally televised to more than 29 million viewers on RFD-TV. If you were unable to attend the awards ceremony on April 19, you can relive the event on June 26 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). The show will be repeated Tuesday, June 27 at 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time).

Programming from the Best of NAMA awards will include footage from the awards ceremony, interviews with winners and highlights of the winning entries. RFD-TV is featured on DIRECTV® (channel 379), DISH Network™ (channel 9409) and Mediacom® (channel 78).

“Best of NAMA is the industry’s premier event, recognizing the most outstanding work in agricultural advertising, marketing and public relations,” explains Eldon White, executive vice president and CEO of NAMA. “RFD-TV’s televised broadcast of the ceremony provides rural America with a front-row seat to see the entries that are awarded the highest honors within our industry.”

“This is the night when agri-marketers across the country salute the best of the best, and where rural and ag customers can see if their favorite advertising and marketing campaigns are among the winning entries,” says Mike Hansen, executive vice-president, RFD-TV. “RFD-TV applauds everyone in agricultural marketing communications who worked so hard to inform, educate and sometimes entertain the agricultural industry about products and issues that matter the most, and we are excited to share the winning work with viewers across the country.”

Don’t forget…If you’ve moved or changed phone numbers, etc., make sure we have your correct information so that you will be listed in our membership directory appropriately.

Just visit the membership directory on the NAMA Web Site and check your record, if changes need to be made, simply click the “submit change” button and make any changes you need.

To look up your record visit, http://www.nama.org/directory/index.html.

Did you move to a new company and know of co-workers who would benefit from NAMA? Just send their contact information to Linda Schaefer at the NAMA office at [email protected] and she’ll send them information on NAMA and how to join!

NAMA is seeking recruits for the third annual NAMA Boot Camp, August 22-24, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

A day-long farm tour, hosted by the MoKan NAMA chapter, will take place prior to the kick-off of the Boot Camp on Tuesday, August 22. This tour is an added optional opportunity for everyone. The Boot Camp will begin with a reception after the farm tour, followed by a dinner with a producer panel.

Wednesday, August 23, begins with breakfast and a general session on Ag Policy and How it Relates to Your Job. Following the opening session will be Breakout sessions on A Year in the Life of a Crop Producer and A Year in the Life of a Livestock Producer followed by a luncheon session on Business-to-Business Marketing with Dr. Gene Brown, University of Missouri-Kansas City. The afternoon continues with breakouts on Internal Marketing Tools, Working with Checkoff Boards, Evaluating Media and Measuring ROI, and Dealing with Activists. A poolside reception will end the day.

Thursday, August 24, will begin with breakfast and client and agency panel discussions followed by the closing session on the Future of Agriculture with Hugh Whaley, senior vice president, Osborn & Barr Communications. The Boot Camp will adjourn at 11:30 a.m.

For more information on the NAMA Boot Camp visit, http://www.nama.org/programs/bootcamp.htm.

To register for the NAMA Boot Camp visit, https://nama.org/programs/bootcamp-register.htm.

If you are interested in sponsoring a session or event at the NAMA Boot Camp, please contact Eldon White at (913) 491-6500 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Get out of the office and into the warm summer sun with an upcoming outdoor chapter event. Check out the events below:

North Central Golf Outing
North Central NAMA will host their annual golf outing on Thursday, June 22, at Willingers Golf Club in Northfield, MN. Registration for the golf outing will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. A dinner and awards ceremony will follow the golf outing. The cost for the North Central Golf Outing is $100 per player and includes golf, cart, range balls, dinner and great prizes! Hole sponsorships are available for $200 and include 1 registration.

For more information or to register a team, contact Troy Schroeder at Broadhead + Co. at 612-617-7930 or via e-mail at [email protected].

For more information visit, http://www.nama.org/chapters/noc6-22-06.htm.

Iowa NAMA Field-to-Food Run
The annual Iowa NAMA Field-to-Food Run will take place on Friday, June 23. The Field-to-Food Run kicks off with the 1-mile Walk starting at 6:45 p.m. and the 5K Run starting at 7 p.m. Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl., Inc. has graciously agreed to host the starting line in their corn/soybean fields while the finish line will be north of Hy-Vee in Johnston, IA.

The Iowa NAMA Chapter began the Field-to-Food Run eleven years ago to help promote the vital link agri-business plays in bringing food to our tables. More than $50,000 has been raised by Iowa NAMA through the Run. All proceeds from the race will go to The Iowa FFA Foundation and Farm Safety 4 Just Kids.

For more information, download the Field-to-Food Run Brochure in an Adobe .PDF document or visit, http://www.nama.org/chapters/ioa6-23-06.htm.

Iowa NAMA volunteers and company donations are welcome. Please contact Stephanie Vinton for more information at 515-231-4212 or via e-mail at [email protected].

MoKan NAMA Golf Classic
MoKan NAMA will host their annual Golf Classic on Thursday, June 29, at the Prairie Highlands Golf Course in Olathe, KS. Registration will begin at 11:15 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. Cost is $115 per player or $460 per team.

To register for the golf outing, visit https://nama.org/chapters/Mo-KanGolfOutingRegistration.htm.

If you would like to sponsor for this event please contact Bob Brunker, Ken Dean or Ken Staley:

1. Bob Brunker, J.L Farmakis
[email protected], (816) 746-8814

2. Ken Dean, High Plains Journal
[email protected], (913) 390-9030

3. Ken Staley, Staley Marketing Group
[email protected], (913) 492-3830

All proceeds from the MoKan Golf Classic will benefit the Student NAMA Chapters that are sponsored by MoKan NAMA.

MoKan Ag Tour
MoKan NAMA will again host an Ag Tour prior to the NAMA Boot Camp on Tuesday, August 22. The tour will depart from the Hyatt Regency Crown Center at 8:30 a.m. and will make its first stop at the Kansas City Board of Trade. The next stop will be Tailgate Ranch and Pine Family Farms and then on to Heritage Tractor. The tour will return to the hotel by 4:00 p.m. and includes lunch and refreshments. The cost for the tour is $45.

For more information on the Ag Tour and the NAMA Boot Camp, visit http://www.nama.org/programs/bootcamp.htm.

To register visit, https://nama.org/programs/bootcamp-register.htm.

Two of the regional leader workshops have been scheduled for this summer. If you are a leader in your chapter, you will benefit by attending a regional leader workshop. The workshop is considered a “must attend event” for chapter leaders and committee chairs or anyone who may be interested in joining your leadership team. You won’t be disappointed in the time you invest.

The leader workshop is an interactive workshop. Chapter leaders will spend time discussing topics relevant to their chapter. Programming, membership, and communication are just a few of the topics that will be discussed.

The Region III workshop has been scheduled for the morning of Thursday, June 22, at 7:30 a.m., prior to the North Central Golf Outing at Willinger’s Golf Club, 6900 Canby Trail, Northfield, MN 55057 (Just NW of I-35 Exit 169).

The Region II workshop has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 28, from 3:00 – 8:00 p.m., the afternoon prior to the MoKan Golf Classic. The workshop will take place at the Kansas City Airport Hilton.

Region IV has not yet set a date for their regional workshop.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the NAMA office at 913-491-6500.

On May 25, the Iowa NAMA Chapter held its annual golf outing/fundraiser to benefit the scholarship fund. Approximately 40 golfers braved Bos Landen Golf Course in Pella, Iowa, one of the top courses in the state of Iowa.

Despite a couple brief rain showers and few lost golf balls, the event was a huge success. Golfers enjoyed excellent golf, scenic views, and some great time with colleagues and friends.

Winning this year’s tournament was the team from Vermeer Manufacturing’s Agricultural Division. The team consisted of Jay Van Roekel, Russ Beyer, Connor Flynn (Lessing Flynn) and Todd Boninn (Hoard’s Dairyman), shooting a -5 under par 67. Three other teams shot -4 under 68 to tie for second place.

Chad Huyser, 2006 Golf Outing chairperson, commented, “A big thanks goes out to all those who attended. This event would not be possible without the support of the chapter members and many sponsors who stepped up with hole sponsorships and team entries.”

Badger and Chicago NAMA chapters joined forces on June 1 to host their annual golf outing. The event was held at beautiful Hawk’s View Golf Club in Lake Geneva, WI.

The winning team, which carded a -8 to win, included: Pat Konen, Konen Advertising; Randy Groff, Mosaic Company; Bruce Herz, Bader Rutter; and John Rich. The winners each received a plaque courtesy of Successful Farming.

Golfers enjoyed refreshments and snacks while golfing and relaxed with a BBQ-style cookout afterwards. Over $1200 was raised for the University of Wisconsin-Madison student NAMA chapter and marketing team.