Leading NAMA into a New Year

Jamie Johansen

nama-fall-13-kenna-paulLeadership within an organization is key to it’s success and the National Agri-Marketing Association has gone above and beyond to ensure their leadership is a cut above. During NAMA Fall Conference business was carried out, professional development sessions took place and the gavel was passed down the ranks to the upcoming president.

Paul Redhage with FMC and outgoing NAMA President, talked with Chuck about changes that were made during the recent board meeting and then looked back on his term as president of the national organization.

“Well, there are about four or five. Number one is that we are in good financial shape. Part of that is the economy of agriculture, but part of it is from some things we have done as an organization to be prepared. The second area is when it comes to the strategic plan and membership development has been a key effort there. One thing I am personally proud of is I helped establish the young professionals membership.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Paul here: Interview with Paul Redhage

Coming up the ranks as the new NAMA President is Kenna Rathai. The passing of the gavel took place during the fall conference in St. Louis, but Kenna will officially take the title as president in January.

“First, I am very excited to lead an amazing group of ag marketers at an incredible time in agriculture. One thing that we will continue to do is move our strategic plan forward. That includes communication with members, strategic alliances within the industry and also reaching out to non-traditional audiences. But another challenge I would like to throw out to members is to get engaged with the organization. We want more members to be active, whether that is at the chapter or national levels. We want to see new volunteers on committees and more attendance at programs.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Kenna here: Interview with Kenna Rathai

2013 NAMA Fall Conference Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Marketing, NAMA

New Holland Powering American Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

producers-clubNew Holland is proud to be powering American Ethanol as the premier equipment partner for Growth Energy and its member ethanol plants.

“We’re pushing forward with a positive message about ethanol and working together with not just the plants but also the producers,” said Luke Johnson, Growth Initiatives sales manager with New Holland, at the kickoff of a New Holland American Ethanol Producers Club event at the Absolute Energy plant in Lyle, Minnesota.

new-holland-mn-lukeThe producers club is a way for New Holland to show its support of the farmers who produce the corn that makes American ethanol. “We have a great discount structure program set up for them,” Luke said. “Our partnership is circular for everyone. The producer helps the ethanol plant and gets better prices in the corn market because of the industry, we support them with a fantastic discount program and support the industry at the same time to keep the positive message out there.”

The event at Absolute Energy is the 12th one that New Holland has held this year and Luke says they expect to do more next year. “Everything about it has been positive,” he said. The event will be held at the plant on Wednesday and we will be bringing you lots of information from it this week.

Listen to my interview with Luke here: Luke Johnson, New Holland
New Holland American Ethanol Producers Club photo album

Audio, Energy, Equipment, Ethanol, New Holland

Farm Bill Comments from Growth Energy Economist

Cindy Zimmerman

The farm bill is important for agriculture and renewable energy and I had the opportunity to chat with a veteran farm policy expert who now serves as Vice President and Chief Economist for Growth Energy.

growth-millerJim Miller has served many roles in his career, from leadership positions with the National Farmers Union and National Association of Wheat Growers to Senior Policy Advisor on the Budget Committee under Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and USDA Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services, so he’s had his share of farm policy experience and farm bills in particular.

“The process for developing the 2013 farm bill is just a tremendous mess,” said Miller. “The action that the House took in splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the farm bill I don’t think is very hopeful to those of us interested in farm bills and what that means for rural America.”

Miller thinks it will be very difficult for the House and Senate to achieve a compromise. “I do not envy those who are likely to be appointed to the conference to try to reconcile these differences,” he said. The House has yet to appoint conferees and now has several more procedural steps before that might occur. In the meantime, Congress is facing the bigger issues of keeping the government funded and dealing with the debt ceiling, which means it is almost certain the current farm bill extension will expire at the end of September without a new one. Miller says that’s not a big deal for most farm programs and the nutrition program but will impact a number of the other titles which lose the authorization to operate when the extension expires.

Jim also comments about the challenges to the RFS in this interview from the New Holland American Ethanol Producers Club event being held this week in Lyle, Minnesota at the Absolute Energy ethanol plant: Jim Miller, Growth Energy

Audio, Equipment, Ethanol, Farm Bill, Farm Policy, New Holland

BASF Launches New Mobile Website

Talia Goes

BASFBASF launched a new mobile platform, m.agproducts.basf.us, for U.S.-based Crop Protection products. This platform gives BASF customers and employees access to company and product information for use on all tablets and smartphone models.

The m.agproducts.basf.us website features full access to all BASF Crop Protection product information. This includes relevant product labels and material safety data sheets (MSDS). The Contact Us section has a Rep Finder option to allow customers to quickly find out the BASF representative for their location. This section also has Customer Service and Media Contact information available.

The Product section gives customers an A to Z listing of the BASF product portfolio. Each product features information on How It Works, Labeled Crops, Problems Controlled and a Research Library. The m.agproducts.basf.us platform allows users to share any of the information through social media including Facebook, Google+, Twitter and YouTube.

Agribusiness, BASF

Kohn Joins ASTA

Talia Goes

Michelle KohnMichelle Kohn, formerly a research analyst for agriculture consulting firm, Agralytica, has been named Director, International Programs and Policy, said Andrew W. LaVigne, president and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).

In this new role at ASTA, Kohn will be responsible for the management and direction of USDA Cooperator/donor-funded programs and for assisting in the development of ASTA’s international policies and priorities. She will be the staff lead for the International Executive Committee and the major foreign markets (Argentina, India, Mexico, China and Brazil) committees.

Formerly at Agralytica, Kohn provided analysis and support for market research, program evaluations and strategic market analysis for government agencies, trade associations and US exporter organizations. Among the industries she analyzed were soybeans, wheat, grains, oilseed and animal agriculture; and among the issues she evaluated were crop insurance, tariffs and trade barriers.

Prior to Agralytica, Kohn provided writing, research, statistical and other project management support for an environmental nonprofit. A graduate of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland, Kohn is currently working on an MS-MBA in Food and Agribusiness Management from Purdue University and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Agribusiness, ASTA

Does Big Data Have a Role in Agri-Marketing?

Jamie Johansen

nama-fall-13-harrisonAnother breakout session during the recent NAMA Fall Conference focused on “Big Data’s Effect on Marketing.” Discussion led to how data can influence messaging, new markets, media strategy and customer relationships.

Jay Harrison, Data Mining Innovations Director at Maritz, sat on the panel and later chatted with Chuck about how social and content-based data can guide strategies for marketers.

Chuck asked, “How do we deal with all the metrics we receive and what can we do with it once we’ve got it?” Jay advices to look at many different sources of information. Things said on Facebook may be different then on Twitter or mainstream news. He added to go beyond likes, retweets and shares. Look at what people are actually saying and try to measure the emotions expressed.

“One big takeaway is for people to realize the importance of reputation and social media to the agricultural industry. There may be a perception out there that social media is just for kids or it’s just for following celebrities, fashion and TV shows. But in fact, agriculture is one of the hot beds of communications and social media. People are very passionate about knowing things like where their food comes from and how sustainable it is. It is one of the most vibrant, controversial of the industries we track.”

“Another one we discussed today was what topics are being discussed most in social media. Farmers among themselves may discuss things like the weather, seed prices, conditions overseas that effect markets. But in social media we see something different. We see that the main topic of concern is food safety. We also noticed some new evolving issues that come up with legislative and regulatory oversight.”

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Jay here: Interview with Jay Harrison

2013 NAMA Fall Conference Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Marketing, NAMA, Social Media

Zimfo Bytes

Talia Goes

    Zimfo Bytes

  • BASF announced that its U.S. affiliate, BASF Corporation, has entered into an agreement to commence a cash tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the biotechnology company Verenium Corporation for $4.00 per share.
  • Agrium Inc.’s Board of Directors announced its intention to increase Agrium’s dividend by $1.00 U.S. per common share to a total dividend of $3.00 U.S. per common share on an annualized basis. Agrium also provided an outlook for results in the third quarter of 2013.
  • ADM opened an intermodal container freight shipping and receiving facility that will enable businesses to tap into the company’s deep transportation and logistics expertise and provide a platform for economic growth in central Illinois.
  • CLA joined a number of allies in signing on to a letter to World Food Prize president Kenneth Quinn in support of modern agriculture, specifically the role of biotechnology in helping to feed the world.
Zimfo Bytes

Corn Grower Voice on Climate Change

Cindy Zimmerman

ncga-climateThe president of the National Corn Growers Association provided a voice for American farmers Monday at the Opening Ceremony for Climate Week NYC 2013 along with leaders from business and government all over the world.

Iowa farmer Pam Johnson, who spoke alongside international notables including former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, President of World Bank Jim Kim, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern and many others, brought the story of American corn farmers to the panel. In her remarks, she stressed the scientific and technological advances agriculture uses to increasing demands and an ever-changing environment.

“Modern agriculture isn’t the problem; it’s the solution,” Johnson explained. “We are producing more grain on limited arable acres.”

“Perhaps more than any other sector of the economy, farmers are dependent upon the weather and must find ways to adapt to changes to remain productive,” Johnson said. “The good news is that technology advancements in agriculture are helping farmers become more resilient in the face of volatile weather while also significantly decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.”

In its fifth year, Climate Week NYC provides a global summit for government, business and thought leaders to drive innovation, build coalitions and deliver practical solutions.

Ag Groups, Corn, NCGA

What Does Climate Change Mean to Agriculture

Jamie Johansen

nama-fall-13-goetzThe NAMA Fall Conference held breakout sessions to help educate agri-marketers from across the country about the ever changing world of agriculture. Presenter for one of the breakout sessions, Rodger Getz, AWIS Weather Services, Inc., spoke with Chuck following his presentation on, “Climate Change and Agriculture – What it Means to Agri-Marketers.”

“Agriculture like many industries is affected by weather and I think climate change is something that’s been in the news for the last 10-15 years. Significantly in the news the last couple of years and something that can be a source of confusion. Has there been climate change? If there has been, to what extent and what do we do about it? The purpose of my talk was to try and wade through some of that. Maybe not provide the answer, but provide some details so folks could make up their own mind.”

He later explained what the agricultural industry should be concerned with when it comes to change in weather patterns. Rodger also stated that meteorologists can’t scientifically predict weather 30 years out and forecasting the weather is still a challenge even with all the technology we have today.

“I think farmers and agriculture in general need to be more concerned about the day to day changes. And within a growing season be able to adapt things like a late frost that delays planting. What’s it going to look like potentially for the rest of the season and weather wise, how can we adapt to that. That’s where the biggest impact economically can take place in my opinion.”

Rodger’s take home message for NAMA members was simple. Do your own weather homework, look at the broad issue and it’s okay to question what you hear.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Rodger here: Interview with Rodger Getz

2013 NAMA Fall Conference Photo Album

Audio, NAMA, Weather

GROWMARK Updates Member Resource Platform

Cindy Zimmerman

nama-amy-chuckKeeping all of the different divisions and the 35 FS member cooperatives of the GROWMARK system connected is a constantly evolving process, according to Amy Bradford, corporate communications manager – pictured here with NAMA CEO Jenny Pickett and Chuck at the NAMA fall conference.

“My IT likes to call it an evolution because it’s never over,” she told Chuck during an interview at the conference. They are now on a new version of SharePoint for the company’s eResource area that provides better navigation, new functionality and a more cohesive look.

“Each of our major divisions – energy, agronomy, logistics, facility planning – they have their own sites so they have specialized information on products and services that they offer our members,” Amy says. “So, it really is everything a member company would need GROWMARK expertise for or a product or a service, they would go to eResource to find it.”

Basically, eResource gives GROWMARK member companies a centralized resource to order products and get important information. Of course, eResource is password protected for member companies only and it helps those companies serve their members better.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Amy here: Interview with Amy Bradford, GROWMARK

2013 NAMA Fall Conference Photo Album

Audio, GROWMARK, NAMA