Conducted by the Southwest NAMA Chapter 

Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?

Well, it should on April 26! You won’t want to miss out on this one-of-a-kind tour to Dallas’ neighbor to the west: Fort Worth, Texas. Known as the “City of Cowboys and Culture,” Fort Worth embraces its authentic western heritage while also being home to first-class art museums, a vibrant music scene, friendly folks and excellent steak houses.

Simply known as “Cowtown,” Fort Worth will take you back in time as you arrive in the famous Fort Worth Stockyards to enjoy a chuckwagon breakfast complete with cowboy coffee and hot biscuits. We’ll gather in the Livestock Exchange Building in the studios of Superior Livestock Auction and hear about the economic impact that agriculture has in the city.

Presenters from the National Cutting Horse Association and special rangers from the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, who serve as law enforcement officers recovering millions of dollars in livestock and assets thefts, will share their stories with you. RIDE TV and Superior Livestock reps will also discuss the value and importance of agriculture across their many media platforms. You’ll also hear from the owner of one of the largest ranches in Texas who will explain how they market their cattle locally and internationally.

Then it’s time for a tour of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Go back to the 1800s when you see the world famous Fort Worth Cattle Drive of Longhorns who traverse the brick streets twice daily. Want to buy a new pair of boots? We’re saving time for some souvenir shopping…or that cowboy hat you’ve always longed for. There will still be time for a swing through Billy Bob’s Texas, “The World’s Largest Honky Tonk,” to grab some barbeque and beer before heading back to Dallas.

Join us to “Discover Fort Worth—The Wall Street of Texas with Cowboys and Culture.”

Cost for the tour is $70 and includes transportation, breakfast and lunch, plus more surprises.

Wednesday, April 26
7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Click here to register.

“Big Data” is the vital tool for today’s marketers as it allows us to define and target audiences, especially niche audiences such as ag. This new frontier marketing opportunity allows ag companies that embrace it to better reach their specific audience, at the right moment, with the right message, in a budget-friendly way with significant tracking and analytics to measure communication effectiveness.

Stuart Adams, Karl Ploeger and Kay Wigle, all with Swanson Russell, will share the basics of programmatic media, how it works, types of data, trends, what’s new and what to watch out for.
When: Thursday, April 13, 2017

Time: 2:00 p.m. (Central)

Cost: $40 for members and $50 for non-members

Annual event in Washington D.C. celebrates accomplishments of today’s farmers and ranchers and the vital role agriculture plays in our society.

Hundreds of agribusiness professionals, media, association and government officials came together at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2017, as part of agriculture’s annual National Ag Day celebration.
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The morning event was organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA), U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) and National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and commenced with a panel on SMART Farming: Producing Sustainable, Nutritious Food for Life.
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Moderated by Greg Horstmeier, DTN, Editor-in-Chief, panelists addressed how today’s farmers and ranchers use the latest technology and methods to grow and raise more sustainable food with less impact on our environment. On the panel, speakers included Chip Bowling, Maryland crop farmer and USFRA Vice Chairman, Beverly Flores, John Deere Media and Communications Manager, Lauren Schwab, Ohio pig farmer and USFRA Face of Farming & Ranching and Andrew Walmsley, American Farm Bureau Federation, Director, Congressional Relations.
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Key highlights on the panel showcasing SMART Farming included:
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• “On our farm, we utilize conservation tillage for soil health. We want the soil and nutrients to stay in the fields and not our waterways” – Chip Bowling
• “Agriculture is built on technology & innovation, it shapes what we do. Let’s reassure others about farming today” – Beverly Flores
• “We continually improve how we house our pigs. We’ve adapted to where we can give individualized care to each sow” – Lauren Schwab
• “Engage with others and put rumors to rest. People just want to know their food is safe to feed their families” – Andrew Walmsley

Additionally, Ray Starling, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, Trade, and Food Assistance contributed to the event by offering remarks around the new administration as well as how we as an industry need to ‘Brag on Ag’. During the Press Club Event, Mr. Starling announced a Presidential Proclamation declaring March 21 as National Ag Day which received a resounding applause by attendees.
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During his remarks, Ray Starling shared, “I see our priorities for agriculture falling into four different buckets, which include: promoting agricultural trade, providing farmers with access to a reliable, affordable workforce, halting the regulatory onslaught for farmers and ranchers, and improving infrastructure in rural America.” His hope for this administration is to “leave behind a mechanism where agriculture continually has a seat at the table.” And he emphatically stated, “American farmers & ranchers are the heart and soul of this country.”
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The Press Club event also featured the presentation of the Ag Day Essay Contest scholarship. Annette Degnan from CHS presented Bridger Gordon from Whitewood, S.D., received a $1,000 prize for his winning essay. Click here to view the winning essay online.

The Charles Eastin Award was presented to Sue Tebow, creator of the Facebook page agri.CULTURE, which showcases the unique culture of the real people working in agriculture. The Eastin Award honors an outstanding individual who stands out as an advocate for accurate communications between rural and urban audiences.
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The event also honored the four John Deere Outstanding Young Farmers for 2016. In attendance were Kevin and Jennifer Wolsky, Jennifer Niederer, Joseph and Ida DeFrancesco, Nathan Youngquist and Brooke Loisel. The Outstanding Young Farmer program began in the 1940s.
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Click here to watch a recording of the entire Press Club Event.
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In addition to bringing awareness of National Ag Day at the Press Club Event, USFRA CEO Randy Krotz placed an op-ed in The Hill for National Ag Day, titled Our Food System is Flourishing, Not Broken to celebrate the many accomplishments of today’s farmers and ranchers and help inform the general public about the vital role agriculture plays in our society.

Please mark your calendars for the 2017 NAMA Fall Conference!

When: September 19 – 21, 2017

Where: Hilton Milwaukee City Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Like always, NAMA’s Fall Conference will not disappoint! Make sure you save these dates so you can join us in Milwaukee!

New Member List:
Welcome our new members for March 2017:

BADGER
Brad Alig, Filament Marketing, LLC
Devan Klopfenstein, Kuhn North America
Kay Krebsbach, RS+K
Ben Towns, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition

CAMA ALBERTA
Rhett Soveran, RealAgriculture

CAMA ONTARIO
Diane Houlachan, Glacier Media

CAMA SASKATCHEWAN
Rochelle Mansiere, Federated Co-operatives Ltd.

CAROLINAS/VIRGINIA
Kerry Grossweiler, Bayer CropScience
Allyson Jones-Brimmer, Animal Agriculture Alliance
Chelsea Richardson, G&S Business Communications

CHESAPEAKE
Chloe Carson, National Pork Producers Council
Cara Cramer, Natl. Pork Producers Council
Autumn Rausch, Certis USA

CHICAGO
Dustin Gerdes, Rhea + Kaiser
Pete Hlavach, Rhea + Kaiser

CORNBELT
Joy Benning, MorganMyers
Ron Maahs, TRILIX
Paul Zobel, Kent Nutrition Group

CORNHUSKER
Jacob Knipp, Reinke Manufacturing

FLORIDA
Desire Ohlinger, AgAmerica Lending
Shelby Poling, AgAmerica Lending

GATEWAY
Connor Cole, HLK
Russell Johnson, Monsanto Vegetable Seeds
Candace Rosen, Novus International

GREAT PLAINS
Greg Thurman, U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc.

HEARTLAND
Steven Peters, Illinois Farm Bureau

IOWA
Tiffany Hamil, AgVenture, Inc.
Mary Harrington, Landus Cooperative
Alyssa Hemesath, Landus Cooperative

MIDSOUTH
Patrick Ewan, Helena Chemical Company
Kristen Pierce, LEO Events
Cindy Ridge, Bridgestone

MISSOURI-KANSAS
Shannon Higgins, Natl. Assn. of Farm Broadcasting

NORTH CENTRAL
Mark Andersen, Colle+McVoy
Kristina Azzone, The Lacek Group
Nicole Duchene, The Mosaic Company
Allison Kuznia, Colle+McVoy
Hannah Ockelmann, Colle+McVoy
Anna Wagner Schliep, Harvest PR

NORTHERN PRAIRIE
Julie Bechtel, Lee Agri-Media
Claire Feterl, SD Soybean Research & Promotion Council
Greg Smith, Wheat Growers

OHIO
Mike (MP) Anderson, The Andersons, Inc.
Lincey Hinkle, Sunrise Cooperative
Diana Podach, Sunrise Cooperative

ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Stacy Cirasunda, Wilbur-Ellis Company

SOUTHWEST
Kayla Colvin
Judson Vasconcelos, Merck Animal Health

WESTERN PACIFIC NAMA
Juliann  Markos, Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves
Alex Varricchio, Think Shift
Caitlin Wickstrom, Virtus Nutrition