New Member List:
Welcome our new members for February 2016:

AT LARGE
John Cranfield, Dept of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics
Tom Rutter, Furst-McNess Company

BADGER
Sara Hendrickson, Cooperative Resources International
Jamie Mara, Dairy Business Association
Dana Thompson, Kuhn North America

CAROLINAS/VIRGINIA
Alec Check, BASF
Maggie Coates, BASF
Alex Yost, BASF

CORNBELT
Cory Venable, Highway Equipment Company

CORNHUSKER
Erin Stieren, Nebraska Farm Bureau

EASTERN
Chris Keenan, WG Critical Care

GATEWAY
Jill Miller, FamilyFarms Group

HEARTLAND
Morgan Booth, Illinois Pork Producers Association
Jill Messamore, GROWMARK, Inc.
Matt Wettersten, GROWMARK, Inc.

IOWA
Madison Bennett, John Deere Financial
Megan Burkett, Meyocks Group
Sheri Ecklor, John Deere Financial
Heather Pelzer, Monsanto
William Rooney, WOI TV (Nexstar)

MID-AMERICA
Marybeth Baxter, Beck’s Hybrids
Jill Zeller, Dow AgroSciences

MIDSOUTH
Sarah Baker, Archer Malmo

MISSOURI-KANSAS
Galen Dody, AgriLegacy
Wesley Hentges, AgriLegacy
Jacqueline Qualizza, Association Insurance Services, Inc
Abby Strawder, Sullivan Higdon & Sink
Susan Swanson, John Deere
Amanda Wheeler, Sullivan Higdon & Sink

NORTH CENTRAL
Derek Bitter, Colle+McVoy

OHIO
Brian George, Seed Consultants

ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Sean Murphy, Hemp Biz Journal

SOUTHEASTERN
Belinda Givens, Sullivan Higdon & Sink

Calling All Mid-America Chapter Members: The Purdue Student NAMA Chapter Needs Support!

Interested in helping the Purdue chapter of collegiate NAMA get ready for their upcoming competition?

Join the Mid-America Chapter this month as they help them prepare for the event. The students will be presenting their comprehensive marketing plan to the group as if they are the judges. They will provide feedback and constructive comments to all of the students, as well as an overall score using the NAMA rubric that is used at nationals.

The students are highly motivated and really looking forward to presenting to a diverse group of marketing professionals. We hope you can make it!

If you’d like to attend the meeting, please RSVP by March 4, 2016 to:
Kalyn Rose
[email protected]
(317) 872-7500

Mark Tuesday, March 22 on your calendar for the 30^th Celebration of Agriculture

Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids, IA

Reception starting at 6PM and dinner at 7PM

You are cordially invited to join members of Cornbelt Chapter NAMA at the 30^th Annual Celebration of Agriculture.  Many members of the chapter have attended this wonderful program for years and in fact, there are Cornbelt members on this planning committee.  Thank you Luann Pisarik and Dan Weise!

There is a dinner and speaker, Dr. Lowell Catlett, Professor of Economics, Agriculture and Genetic Engineering at New Mexico State University.  His presentation “When Farmers Rule the World” should prove thought-provoking and highly entertaining.

The cost is $40 per person, and reservations should be in to Luann Pisarik by Friday, March 4 to be sure there is enough seating at the table.

If you have questions, please contact Luann or Patty Kisner and we hope to see you there.

You are invited to a joint cocktail reception hosted by AAEA and the National Agri-Marketing Association at Commodity Classic.

When: Friday, March 4, 2016

Where: New Orleans Convention Center, Room: 342

Time: 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Stop by after the trade show closes but before you head out to dinner!

No cost or registration necessary.

Click for more information on Commodity Classic.

Thanks to BASF, Chesapeake NAMAand Great Plains NAMA. 

The “Six Sources of Influence” represents the best that social science has to offer from over seven decades of research. Join Joseph Grenny, the opening keynote speaker, in a fast-paced, hands-on presentation where he shares a simple model for understanding and changing human behavior.

Click the video below to watch Joseph Grenny’s sneak peek on the presentation he will give in April!

Register for the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City!

2016 National Ag Day Essay Contest

Agriculture Council of America Announces 2016 National Ag Day Essay Contest Winners

The Agriculture Council of America has announced the winners of the 2016 National Ag Day video and written essay contest winners. The winners were chosen based on the 2016 Theme:  Agriculture: Stewards of a Healthy Planet.

The theme presented an opportunity for students to address how the agriculture industry nurtures and protects the planet. Entrants chose to either write an essay and/or create a video focusing on how today’s growers are overcoming challenges to provide a safe, stable food supply while protecting the environment.

“CHS enthusiastically supports rural youth and is proud to showcase their ideas and initiative,” says Annette Degnan, marketing communications director, CHS Inc., one of this year’s essay contest sponsors. “The essay and video contests provide the perfect platform for their visions and dreams to be shared with a broader audience.”

The national written essay winner, Emily Dougherty from Greenwood, Indiana, receives a $1,000 prize and travel to Washington, D.C., for recognition during the Celebration of Ag Dinner held March 15 at Whitten Patio at the USDA. During dinner, she will have the opportunity to read the winning essay as well as join with industry representatives, federal agency representatives, media and other friends in a festive agriculture celebration. Video essay winner, Ayodeji Ogunlana from Mission, Texas wins a $1,000 prize. Both entries can be viewed online at www.agday.org/media/pr11.php.

This is the 43nd anniversary of National Ag Day. The goal of the ACA is to provide a spotlight on agriculture and the food and fiber industry. The ACA not only helps consumers understand how food and fiber products are produced, but also brings people together to celebrate accomplishments in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

The Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by CHS Inc., National Association of Farm Broadcasting and Penton Agriculture.

National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America and celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. ACA is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public’s awareness of agriculture’s role in modern society.

Founded in 1973, National Ag Day encourages every American to:

• Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
• Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.
• Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
• Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.

Learn more and register for events at www.agday.org.