Iowa NAMA September Meeting – Panel of Ag Association Leaders

Join the Iowa NAMA chapter as they kick off the 2017-2018 meetings with a luncheon featuring a panel of ag association leaders including:

Craig Floss, Chief Executive Officer, Iowa Corn Growers Association

Matt Deppe, Chief Executive Officer, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association

The panel will discuss the issues and opportunities facing today’s agricultural producers.

Bring your questions – there will be time for Q&A!

11:30 a.m. – Lunch & Networking

Noon – 1:00 p.m. – Panel of Ag Association Leaders

WHEN:
Thursday, September 21, 2017

WHERE:
Windsor Heights Community Center
6900 School St.
Windsor Heights, IA 50311

Please register by Noon on Monday, September 18th

Click here to register!

Networking Opportunity for the Student & North Central Professional NAMA Chapter Members

Join us for an evening where students and working professionals can interact amongst one another. The fall timeframe is a busy time for students to start interviewing/searching for internships and full time career opportunities. This will give the students a chance to ask questions/engage/network amongst working ag marketers in the Minneapolis area. Great way to leverage the relationship amongst NAMA for both the student and professional chapter

WHERE:
Stout’s Pub | 1611 Larpenteur Ave W, Falcon Heights, Minnesota 55113

WHEN:
Thursday, September 28 from 5:00-7:00 pm

COST: FREE
Canned Goods As Donation
We are asking for each NAMA Student Member as well as Professional Chapter Member to bring at least two canned goods for the North Central NAMA chapter to donate to a local food bank.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
The NAMA professional chapter will be providing free appetizers and food and two FREE drink tickets (individuals over 21 years old will receive adult drink tickets). If under the age of 21, we will provide free non-alcoholic drink tickets.

NAMA Still Has Rooms for Fall Conference!

Do you still need a room in Milwaukee? NAMA still has some rooms available at the Hilton City Center Hotel! If you still need a room, please send us an email or call the NAMA office at (913) 491-6500.

The early bird registration date is this Tuesday, September 5. If you haven’t registered for Fall Conference yet, there is still time to do so at the lower rate. Register today and save yourself some money!

Check out the Fall Conference Website for all the information you will need in Milwaukee!

Best of NAMA:
All Signs Point to KC

The Call for Entries is now live on the NAMA website! Click here to access all the information you need to submit your best work.

If you have questions or need category clarifications, please call us at (913) 491-6500. The deadline to submit your work is October 6, 2017.

Special thanks to Martin Williams Advertising for the 2017 Theme and Call for Entries design!

Cheryl Cran is one of the fantastic keynote speakers that NAMA has lined up for Fall Conference this year. She will be presenting at the Second General Session on Thursday, September 21.

Get a first look at her presentation in this promo video. We hope to see you all in Milwaukee! Find out more on the Fall Conference website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT-yX9CP6ao

The early bird registration cutoff is Tuesday, September 5 so make sure you register soon for the 2017 NAMA Fall Conference!

Join the Badger NAMA Chapter as they host the 2017 Fall Conference Ag Tour. Get a unique perspective on some of the most enterprising ag operations in the great state of Wisconsin. The cost for this tour is $75 and includes breakfast and lunch. See below for a full schedule of the day’s activities.

Does this sound like a great way to start off your Fall Conference experience? Register Now!

Tuesday, September 19

7:30 a.m.: Depart the hotel.

Stop #1 – Theresa, WI: 

Confections for Any Occasion | Chocolate is a specialty for this blind entrepreneur, Joel Bernhard. All of his delectable chocolates are made with real Wisconsin butter and his company proudly participates in Something Special from Wisconsin, Travel Wisconsin and Discover Dodge County. In addition to gourmet chocolates, the store features a variety of other Wisconsin-made products, including sausages, mustards, maple syrup, cheese spreads and honey. We’ll tour the store, learn a little bit about chocolate making and, of course, do some shopping.

Widmer’s Cheese Cellars | This cheese plant has been home to three generations of Widmer cheesemakers. Joe Widmer, current owner and master cheesemaker, still makes Brick cheese the old-fashioned way by using bricks to gently squeeze the whey from the curd. Widmer has won many awards for his handcrafted cheeses. We will learn about the company’s history, watch cheesemaking in action and sample cheese.

Stop #2 – Fond du Lac, WI: 

Vir-Clar Farms | Katie (Boyke) and Grant Grinstead and JR Boyke are the third generation on this family farm and currently manage it with their parents, Gary and Rose Boyke. The family has 2,000 cows and farms 2,800 acres of land. Methane digesters produce enough renewable electric power for approximately 800 homes. Cows are milked three times a day in a double-30 parlor. All the calves are raised on the farm and the family counts on 32 full-time employees to help Vir-Clar run smoothly. Katie will lead us on a tour of the entire farm and explain how this modern dairy farm gives animals the best care possible to produce wholesome, nutritious milk.

En route to Milwaukee: Beer and Cheese Pairing | We’ll match three Wisconsin craft beers with specialty cheeses, explaining how the flavors complement each other.  Participants will get a taste of so many award-winning products crafted in Wisconsin.

Stop #3 – Milwaukee, WI: 

Miller Brewing Company | Miller Brewing Company has been brewing “confoundly good beers” for 160 years. This tour begins at the Visitor Center and includes a four-block walk, allowing for an inside look at the brew house. Learn how Miller-Coors products are made, packaged and distributed worldwide. We’ll conclude the tour with product sampling and sodas.

3:45 p.m.: Arrive back at the hotel.

NAMA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Professional Development Awards. Each year, NAMA recognizes industry leaders at the very top of their respective fields. These prestigious awards acknowledge excellence in the areas of marketing communications, product/species management, public relations and sales.

The 2017 Marketing Communications award recipient is Linda Frerichs, Head of Global and North American Communications at Arysta LifeScience. Linda’s attention to detail, vast agricultural knowledge and extensive network of industry professionals make her an invaluable asset to the marketing communications team. Linda plays a leading role in the day-to-day internal and external communications. Her farm roots and career path influence her daily as she plans about strategies and tactics with the farmer’s perspective in mind. Linda is a member of the Carolinas/Virginia NAMA Chapter. She gets involved on a local level by participating in professional development opportunities; and at the national level by attending multiple conferences a year.

The Professional Development Award for Product and Species Management goes to Jill DeLucero, Senior Director, Association Marketing at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Jill manages one of the beef industry’s premiere projects, the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The ESAP program recognizes seven regional winners and one national winner. Jill has ensured the program is legitimized through the rigorous selection process that includes experts in various fields of range and pasture enhancement, wildlife habitat development, and beef industry experts. Jill has served as the treasurer and president of the Rocky Mountain NAMA Chapter and attends many conferences. She also encourages her staff to attend chapter and national events.

Kelly Schwalbe is awarded the Professional Development Award for Public Relations. As Partner and Public Relations Director for Sage, Kelly is actively involved in the development, direction and execution of all public relations programs for the agency’s clients. As a member and participant of many industry clubs and associations Kelly has nurtured and grown relationships throughout the agriculture and animal health industries. During his 35+ years in the agricultural public relations business, Kelly has served in corporate, freelance and agency public relations roles. Kelly is an active member of the Missouri-Kansas NAMA Chapter. He regularly attends meetings, has served on committees, and has judged for the National Best of NAMA Awards program.

The award recipient for Sales is Dave Korbelik, Vice President of Go-to-Market Solutions at Beck Ag. Dave has worked closely with Multimin USA to design and implement customized go-to-market solutions. He created a customized and measurable marketing strategy to build Multimin USA’s presence in the marketplace. Dave has built a solid relationship with the client by understanding their sales and marketing goals and existing struggles and building scalable strategies to address them. Dave has been involved with NAMA since he was a student and is currently part of the Missouri-Kansas Chapter. He encourages his employees to be involved in NAMA by sending them to Boot Camp and other national events.

The professional development awards of excellence will be presented at the 2017 NAMA Fall Conference in Milwaukee. The honorees will receive their awards during a morning session on Thursday, September 21 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center Hotel. For more information on the NAMA Fall Conference, visit http://www.nama.org/fall-conference/2017-home.