The definition of the word “Novus” is new – and that describes Novus International‘s cutting edge approach to animal health as well as the company’s involvement with NAMA this year.
Novus was one of our two NAMA coverage sponsors this year and we were happy to see Stephanie Gable and Jeremy Lutgen when they stopped by our trade show booth. Stephanie is no stranger to NAMA, having served as 2007 national president. She joined the Novus team in September and was excited to tell us all about the company and what else they do. “Novus is new working with NAMA but they already have a great commitment level to other associations and activities,” Steph says. That includes a commitment to sustainability and supporting future leaders in the industry – which you can see by the posts John has done on the student undergraduate working day that Novus helped sponsor last week.
Listen to my interview with Stephanie here: nama09-stephanie.mp3
Novus has become a regular sponsor of event coverage here on AgWired, especially events that have an international flavor – like World Pork Expo and the International Poultry Expo. Jeremy says because they are a technology-based company they think we are a good fit for their promotional efforts. “It’s a good way to communicate around the world, because we are an international organization, so it’s a good way to get our message out and to support the industry at the same time,” Jeremy said.
He also told us about the upcoming ribbon-cutting of their new building in St. Louis, scheduled for early June.
Listen to Jeremy’s interview here: nama09-jeremy.mp3
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It is time for another edition of “Guess Whose Boots.”
Cindy and I are in post-NAMA recovery. However, we may be physically tired but we’re emotionally charged. Those of you in agricultural marketing and communications will be too once you hear this week’s program which features an interview with Curt Blades, 
As you would expect, farmer use of the internet as a source of news and information has skyrocketed and this study provides further documentation of that fact. Curt says the study is projectable and provides breakouts for age and income demographics. Once again it shows that the higher the farm income level, the higher the use of the internet. He says they also found that high speed internet access is much more widespread than many think. I think you’ll enjoy hearing about this new study of farmer media use habits.
Today’s world insists that people have a diverse set of knowledge if they want to keep pace with all of the changes around them. Whether you are a major agri-business or a blogger trying to figure out how to put a photo set on Flickr (oh, thank you great Chuck One of Blogging Knowledge!), the more you know, the better.
While the students taking part in the Novus International Undergraduate Networking Day got lots of practical advice and a firsthand look at the operations of some of the biggest and best agri-businesses in the world in the form of Novus, Pfizer and Monsanto (all conveniently located in the St. Louis area, some of the most valuable education these Missouri Colleges Fund scholarship recipients got was the intangible advice handed down.
A common theme that the Missouri Colleges Fund student scholars heard during the Novus International Undergraduate Networking Day was that many people start down one career path toward a destination but end up somewhere they never expected. Folks like Vanessa Stewart and Judy Lamb talked to the students about how their lives started out in one job and winded and turned until they ended up where they are today. Vanessa starting in the lab and ending up currently working on the business sales end of the company… Judy once working for a major brewery and now in charge of Novus’ product registration. These twists and turns and how you have to be ready for what life deals you has not been lost on the bright scholars touring the facilities at Novus, Pfizer and Monsanto.
Lots of people would like to try all types of new and innovative things at work, but not everyone is lucky enough to work at a place that encourages true, outside-the-box thinking. But, as the Missouri Colleges Fund scholars found out during their Novus International Undergraduate Networking Day, that kind of behavior is heartily encouraged.
We’ve heard a lot from the good folks at Novus International as they have been trying to help the Missouri Colleges Fund scholars get a better grasp on the wide variety of jobs available once they graduate from their science and agricultural degree programs. But what about the students? What do they think about what they’re hearing?