The Tom Tomlinson Memorial Scholarship honors the legacy of Tomlinson, an agricultural sales, consulting and marketing professional, and passionate supporter of Agriculture. Tom was active in the industry until his passing in July 2013.

This $1000 scholarship will be awarded by Beck Ag at the NAMA Agri-Marketing Conference in 2014 to a qualified college junior who is a member of a National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) student chapter and is majoring in animal science, agricultural communications, agricultural economics/agricultural business (depending on university definition of field of study)*. The scholarship will be administered by the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF).

The remaining criteria will follow scholarship rules established by NAMA. They are:

1. Judging will be conducted by representatives from ABEF.

2. Nominees must be members of an accredited student NAMA chapter.

3. To be considered, applicants must be from the junior class and have a B average or higher.

4. The monetary award must be used during the 2014-15 school year.

5. Entries must be submitted following rules established by ABEF and NAMA. Rules may change periodically.

*Some universities classify all agricultural business disciplines in ag economics. Others use agribusiness. Applicants from both disciplines may apply.

Welcome Our New Members for the month of  September:

BADGER
Ashley Smith, Hampel
Jen Staudinger, Bader Rutter & Associates

CHESAPEAKE
Megan Dewalt, Fulper Family Farmstead LLC

GATEWAY
Lorraine Magney, Novus International, Inc.
Andrew Neidert, MFA – Today’s Farmer

IOWA
Sara  Clausen, Key Cooperative
Renee Hansen, United Suppliers
Traci Tiernan, Farm Safety for Just Kids

MID-AMERICA
Courtney Rude, McCormick Company
Jessica Hill, University of Tennessee – Martin

MIDSOUTH
Jessica Hill, University of Tennessee – Martin
Rachna Tewari, University of Tennessee – Martin

MOKAN
Zachary Boss, Lansing Trade Group
Scott Cotter, John Deere
Michelle Hummel, American Soybean Assn.

NORTH CENTRAL
Michael Winter, Worthington Tractor Parts, Inc.
Julie  Staloch, The Promersberger Company

NORTHERN PRAIRIE
Julie  Staloch, The Promersberger Company

SOUTHWEST
Art Wolfskill, Sam Houston State University

The Carolinas/Virginia chapter kicked off the fourth quarter with a Fall Social at Lonerider, a local brewery that started in 2009 as a dream and has grown to 21 employees with distribution across the Carolinas and Georgia.  In addition to networking and taste testing a few of Lonerider’s products, chapter members received a tour of the brewery and spent some time with owner, Sumit Vohra, discussing the company’s marketing and branding efforts in a very competitive market segment.  With a limited advertising budget, social media and event marketing plays a key role in the brewery’s effort to sell directly to consumers and help its distributor get into more restaurants and bars.  A great time was had by all who attended!

On Tuesday, October 15, members of the North Central NAMA Chapter gathered for a full day of Ag tours and education.  The group started out at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture where Assistant Commissioner, Charlie Poster, and International Trade Program Manager, Christina Connelly, gave us an overview of Minnesota agriculture and our global impact.  Some of their current initiatives are developing an awareness of the value-add that Ethanol brings to corn production and working with urban representatives to help them better understand the challenges and needs of rural agriculture.

The group then visited the University of Minnesota Beef Research Farm in Rosemount, MN, where Dr. Alfredo DiCostanzo, Professor of Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management, provided some general background on cattle production and the impact of their educational and research programs.  The group got to visit the barns and get an up-close view of the livestock.

The group then visited a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Bridgewater Produce, where we had a light lunch and listened to owner, John Larson, tell us about the function of CSA’s and what they grow at their farm.  Members got to browse the farm and see the various ways the CSA conducts their operation.

We were then hosted by Adam Norby, Sales Representative, in a tour of the John Deere SEMA Dealership in Northfield, MN, where members learned about equipment service and sales.  Afterwards, we split up into small groups and toured local farms where members had an opportunity to speak directly to farmers, learn about their operations and ask questions.  Some of our members even got to ride in some of the equipment.  It was a great day for all participants!

October’s meeting was designed to help Cornhusker NAMA members focus on best practices for redesigning or creating a new website. Two member companies provided experts to lead the discussion. The interactive team from Swanson Russell addressed front-end design considerations. This team included Tony Stattler, Mike Henderson and Kara Cordell. Experts from iNet Solutions Group, Chet Slump and Dan Kuyper, helped members understand back-end complexities.

What should agri-marketers consider when it comes to a website makeover? Tony Stattler of Swanson Russell shared, “It’s important to take a step back and assess what you’re doing first. Then take some time to analyze your site’s audience.” This process helps uncover the overall objective of the site.

From a technical perspective, Chet Slump added that it’s also important to understand your technologies before jumping into development. “You’ll want to consider many of the back-end pieces before you get to the development stage.” While the back-end isn’t as glamorous as the front-end, it’s really where the magic happens. NAMA users were encouraged to consider hosting options, e-commerce needs and third-party integrations with various platforms such as social media and databases.

All speakers agreed, an effective website requires continual planning, time, attention, effort and skill.

How are Ag Marketers Different Than Those in Other Industries?

Presented by Jan Johnson, Millennium Research

Ag marketers use print ads more than other industries. And, they rely on repeat customers more than any other industry.

When you are talking to people you already know, what’s the best thing to say?

What is the best way to communicate, connect and motivate prospective customers?

Join Millennium Research as it presents 10 keys to capture attention and increase advertising effectiveness.

Register to attend NAMA’s next webinar on Thursday, October 24, 2013, at 1:00 pm central time.

Scholarship honors Wayne Bollum, covers multiple areas of study.

 A new scholarship that offers a winning student $2,500 will debut during the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) convention next year, April 9-11 in Jacksonville, FL. The Wayne Bollum Memorial Scholarship was established to honor the longtime agricultural publishing executive, consultant and friend to many. More than $25,000 has been donated since his passing in May.

Endowed by Zoetis, the memorial effort has been joined by a combination of 29 agricultural marketing communications agencies, companies and individuals.  Scholarships will be awarded annually to a college junior majoring in animal science, agricultural communications, agricultural economics or finance. The Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) has established guidelines for scholarship selection. The ABEF board will also manage the fund and administer awards during the National Agri-Marketing Association’s annual student competition.

Contributions are still being accepted and may be mailed to: Wayne Bollum Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o AgriBusiness Educational Foundation, 11020 King St., Ste. 205, Overland Park, KS, 66210. The ABEF is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation and the backbone of Student NAMA.