More than 180 agri-marketers traveled to Milwaukee, WI last month for the sixth annual NAMA Fall Conference. This event is quickly becoming another “can’t miss” NAMA event and this year didn’t disappoint.

As always, the week kicked off with a local ag tour that highlighted the different industries of Wisconsin agriculture: milk, cheese, chocolate and beer! The first stop on the tour was Widmer’s Cheese Cellars where attendees got a look inside how cheese is made and the opportunity to sample different cheeses. Next, they visited Confections for Any Occasion to learn how the owner, a blind chocolatier, got started in the business. The group then traveled to Vir-Clar Farms, a third generation dairy farm with over 2,000 cows in the operation. These cows are milked three times a day and the farm uses methane digesters that produce enough renewable electric power for approximately 800 homes. The day ended at Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee where attendees had the chance to sample some of the many beers from Miller-Coors. Check out some photos from the day.

After the ag tour, the conference kicked off with a reception sponsored by Brownfield Ag News where they launched the “Brownfield Blackout Bingo” game. This pushed attendees to network with everyone at the conference to fill out each square on the game card. The game continued throughout the week with Lauren Taylor, Indiana Soybean Alliance, and Brittany Hanson, Monsanto, as the big winners of a Yeti cooler and Amazon gift cards.

The next full day of conference was filled with great sessions and panels on social media, building your personal brand and consumer food trends.

The day rounded out with a reception hosted by Bader Rutter at their new office in downtown Milwaukee. Guests had a great time networking with colleagues while overlooking the river. Attendees also had the chance to tour the new and modern office.

On the last day of the conference, NAMA’s Professional Development Awards of Excellence were presented to the four winners. These awards were sponsored by Farm Progress. The 2017 winners were:

•   Linda Frerichs, Arysta LifeScience
    Professional Development Award in Marketing Communications

•   Jill DeLucero, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
    Professional Development Award in Product Management

•   Kelly Schwalbe, Sage
    Professional Development Award in Public Relations

•   Dave Korbelik, Beck Ag
    Professional Development Award in Sales

Check out some great photos of this year’s Fall Conference thanks to ZimmComm New Media!

And make sure to mark your calendar now for next year’s Fall Conference. Join NAMA in Minneapolis, MN on September 18-20, 2018.