As the 2010 National Agricultural Marketing Association’s (NAMA) trade show kicked off yesterday, there was a sea of students anxiously waiting to get through the doors. Why? Because they were waiting for the announcement of which teams would make it through the finals for the Student Marketing Competition. On Tuesday, 31 teams from around the country arrived for their chance …
Buy Your Raffle Tickets Already
The students here at NAMA are not just busy trying to win the NAMA Student Marketing Competition. They are also busy selling raffle tickets. For $10, you can get one chance to win a Vizio Flat Screen TV, retailed at more than $2,000. The proceeds from the raffle will benefit the AgriBusiness Educational Foundation (ABEF) which support the NAMA Students …
Student Marketing Competition Underway
Last night while the judges were relaxing in preparation for today’s Student Marketing Competition, the students were doing a little prepping themselves. All around the Hyatt, you could see members of the 31 competing teams practicing their presentations, Q&A’s and making final tweaks. Here is a photo of several of the Iowa State students who were making some final changes …
A Moment with the Student Marketing Competition Judges
Last night, I attended the NAMA reception for the dozens of professionals who will be judging the Student Marketing Competition that is sponsored by Monsanto. The volunteer judges, along with the student competition committee, are integral to the success of the program. But the program doesn’t just give students experience in developing products and marketing campaigns it is also an …
Get Over Your Fear of Social Media
Are you afraid of social media? Is the leadership in your company afraid of it? Then you need to visit with David Meerman Scott. He’s a recovering VP of Marketing and author of the book World Wide Rave. He is conducting the NAMA Pre-Conference Workshop, “Conquering the Fear of Social Media.” David will also be the keynote speaker at tomorrow’s …
From America’s Heartland
The NAMA convention is all about networking, as in meeting with friends. Oh, and there are some awards, workshops and a trade show. Gotta have all that too. But seeing friends is definitely a big part of this annual gathering. Today the students are all sweating out preliminaries and semi finals in their marketing competition. They look good in their …
Farewell To 2010 IFAJ Congress
I hope all our IFAJ friends, American and others, have a safe trip home. The 2010 Congress concluded last night and I’m sure there will be some more updates on the Congress Blog. It has been great getting to follow along with photos and video clips. I’ve been seeing a lot of good friends and do miss them. Like other …
USDA Deregulates Syngenta Seeds Corn Trait
Syngenta Seeds is proud to announce it has received deregulation from USDA for the Agrisure Viptera trait. The Agrisure Viptera trait will be combined with the Agrisure 3000GT trait stack to form the new Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack. The introduction of the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack continues the tradition of the Agrisure Corn Traits system — providing high-performance …
Remember Agriculture on Earth Day
Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in the United States. I still remember the very first Earth Day when I was in middle school and it was a very “hippy-ish” sort of deal. Today, everyone is in on the environmental act. That includes farmers and ranchers – the original environmentalists. As National Corn Growers Association president Darrin Ihnen, …
Zimfo Bytes
John Deere has announced the establishment of John Deere Insurance Company, formed to strengthen its position in crop insurance. In conjunction with World Dairy Expo, the 27th Annual World Forage Analysis Superbowl will award over $20,000 in cash prizes. Dow AgroSciences LLC, and Grupo Papalotla announced that Dow AgroSciences has secured an exclusive license from Papalotla for Brachiaria grass seed …