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“When things get back to normal….” This statement, if not spoken at least on the minds of agricultural marketing professionals over the past couple of years, has been the driving hope of many agribusiness companies.

We’ve witnessed the turn of a new century and surfed the waves of a technological era that sent the stock market through the roof. And then we witnessed a shift in the economic tide that left us breathless, searching for balance and hope during a time of great turbulence and global unrest.

And here we are - searching for a compass to help us navigate this new economy. How do you plan to adjust your approach in this time of economic uncertainty, tight budgets and general unrest?

This year’s Fall Agribusiness Forum is all about helping you make the right strategic marketing decisions to deliver maximum bottom line impact in this temperamental economic environment. The agenda offers hard-hitting analysis and solid practical advice on managing tight budgets efficiently and integrating sales and marketing programs to connect with the customers who matter most- all the while protecting your brands from marketplace erosion.

Sessions taking place at the Forum include: The New "Normal" - The Realities of Today's Business Environment; Marketing is From Venus, Sales From Mars - Challenges of Integrating Marketing & Sales; Realities & Myths of Customer Relationship Management (CRM); Marketing Creates Value for CEO's - Fact or Fiction; and Emerging Issues - The Perfect Check-off Storm & The Nutty Nutrition Environment. A special dinner will also include a session on Mega Trends In Agriculture - First Comes Change, Now Comes Chaos. In addition to the regular schedule of seminars at the Agribusiness Forum, attendees will have a choice between two half-day workshops.

For session descriptions or to sponsor an event at the Agribusiness Forum, visit http://www.nama.org/forum.

For the past 20 years, most marketers have been chasing revenue growth with antiquated strategies that deliver less and less. Yet, today's marketers are being asked to build unattainable revenue budgets that have been more often missed than made. New evidence suggests that there is a reason why marketers are unable to consistently push revenue higher and higher using 20th century strategies.

Business strategist and best-selling author Tom Osenton helps us understand why the rate of revenue growth for most industries and companies stopped increasing years ago, and introduces a fresh marketing perspective and discipline designed to help marketers grow customer share after hitting the market share wall.

Osenton is CEO of Customer Share Group LLC, a leading management consulting firm that advises some of the world's major corporations on the development of growth strategies. He is author of the best selling Customer Share Marketing: How The World's Great Marketers Unlock Profits From Customer Loyalty and soon-to-be released The Flat Line Economy: Facing & Fixing the Global Revenue Crisis.

How would you describe the future of your organization? Uncertain? Competitive? Drastically different from the way it was even a couple of years ago? No matter what you do for your company, your day is likely filled with identifying and solving problems associated with this future. To remain profitable in the current competitive marketplace, companies are finding that every employee must address problems using new and unconventional approaches.

Innovation expert Dr. Charles Prather will show how to unlock the creativity and innovation in each of us. Learn how to truly think "outside the box" to address the daily challenges and problems you encounter. Explore ways to internalize innovation processes to energize the problem solving ability which is dormant in most organizations.

Dr. Charles Prather is president of Bottom Line Innovation Associates, helping organizations, including many Fortune 100 companies, develop Innovation as a core competency. Dr. Prather was the first manager of the DuPont Center for Creativity & Innovation, and he is the author of Blueprints for Innovation.

ABEF GOLF OUTING
Hit the links and network with your peers on October 14, 2003.

The Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) will host its second annual golf outing prior to the Agribusiness Forum. Attendees can network with their peers on the links of the Paradise Point Golf Complex in Smithville, MO and also have a chance to win some great prizes.

Cost for the golf outing is $75 per person. All proceeds for the golf outing will benefit the ABEF in support of the NAMA Student Careers Program. Golfers do not have to be registered for the Agribusiness Forum to participate in the golf outing.

If you would like more information on the Agri-Business Educational Foundation, visit http://www.nama.org/abef/abef-index.html

If you would like more information on the Student NAMA Careers Program visit http://www.nama.org/student/student-index.html

If you would like to register for the golf outing visit, https://nama.org/forum/abfgolfreg.htm

For Golf Outing Sponsorship information, please contact Eldon White at the NAMA office at 913-491-6500 or via e-mail at eldonw@nama.org

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The 2003 Field to Food Run, sponsored by the Iowa NAMA Chapter, was a great success with strong participation and thousands of dollars raised for local organizations. A beautiful summer evening provided the perfect setting for the 218 participants that completed the 5K run and 1-mile walk in Johnston, IA on Friday, June 27th.

"This NAMA-sponsored activity is a unique event in the central-Iowa area as the 5K run starts in the research fields of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, winds through city streets, and concludes in the parking lot of a Hy-Vee Food Store" says Doug Reynolds, Chairperson of the 2003 Field to Food Run. The event is designed to enhance awareness of the vital link between the products grown in the farm fields of Iowa and the food that is served on consumer tables.

At the finish line, several NAMA members participated in providing an "Iowa grown" meal for the runners, walkers and other event attendees to enjoy. The meal included turkey tenderloins, lamb kabobs, hamburgers, pork patties, yogurt, and ice cream bars. Food items were donated by: Iowa Turkey Federation, Iowa Sheep Industry Council, Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Wells Blue Bunny and Hy-Vee.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge was on hand to thank the runners for their participation and ongoing support of Iowa agriculture. Secretary Judge also assisted with the presentation of awards. Prizes were presented to the top three male and female finishers in each age category as well as the overall winners. A variety of door prizes were also handed out to those in attendance.

Since its inception in 1995, the Field to Food Run has generated more than $43,000 in donations to agriculture related causes. This year's benefactors included two nonprofit organizations - the Iowa FFA Foundation and Farm Safety 4 Just Kids. Funds given to the Iowa FFA Foundation supported the Food Science and Technology career development event and the Enrichment Center. Proceeds given to Farm Safety 4 Just Kids will support their efforts to promote a safe farm environment to prevent health hazards, injuries and fatalities to children and youth.

"The success of this year's Field to Food Run could not have been possible without the support of our corporate sponsors, including Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Fitness Sports, Garst Seed Company and HyVee Food Stores," says David Thompson, Iowa NAMA President. "Their generosity, along with the support of our member-volunteers, allows us to promote the importance of Iowa's agriculture industry to a consumer audience in a fun and unique way."

The 2003 Field to Food Committee invested hundreds of hours to ensure a successful event. Committee members included: Mindy Williamson, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids; Lori Strum, Porter & Associates; Carrie Jorgensen, Pioneer Hi-Bred International; Eric Marzen, Successful Farming; Kristie Bray, Iowa Agriculture Development Authority; Jana Rieker, Successful Farming; Lori Thomas, Garst Seed Company; Joe Baitinger, Successful Farming; Janet Bruck, The Integer Group; and Doug Reynolds, Solutions, Inc.

Midlands NAMA is hosting a meeting on August 26, 2003, at James Arthur Vineyards in Raymond, NE.

The meeting will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will feature the speaker Val Peterson. Peterson is a salesperson for the vineyard and travels the state marketing the Nebraska made wines.

After the business meeting there will be a tour of the facilities and a wine tasting. Cost per person is just $7. Please RSVP by e-mailing Kerri Ragsdale at kerri.ragsdale@claas.com.

From a dairy farm to winegrape vineyards, with apple and tomato production in between, agricultural marketers will have a behind-the-scenes look at selected Central Valley farms and packing houses on a farm tour to be held Sept. 26.

The daylong tour begins at a dairy and ends with a wine-tasting networking opportunity at Vino Con Brio in Lockeford. Growers at the various facilities visited will address questions regarding their operations and discuss factors related to marketing.

The tour is sponsored by NAMA Pacific, headquartered in Sacramento and committed to the professional development of agri-marketers in Northern California. Transportation for the tour is provided, and stops will include Van Egmond Dairy, Sambado Primavera Marketing, and Ace Tomato. The cost is $30 for NAMA members and $35 for nonmembers, which includes transportation, lunch, and wine-tasting. To make reservations, contact Bob Foiles at 916-561-5585. Deadline for reservations is September 19.

The Best of NAMA/Golden ARC Awards program honors the best work in agricultural communications. Actually, the best of the best, since companies/agencies must first qualify through regional competition in order to advance to the national level. The national awards ceremony takes place Wednesday, April 14, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

Best of NAMA operates on a regional judging format. Entries are sent directly to the national NAMA office and judged by industry professionals at a regional level for possible advancement to the national competition. If you place first or merit at the regional competition and score above the minimum point standard, you are eligible to advance to the national competition. The NAMA office will contact you by February 2, 2004, if you are eligible for advancement.

Your local chapter receives $45 per regional entry. So, enter your work in Best of NAMA and support your local chapter at the same time.

Through the affiliation of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) with NAMA, the Golden ARC Public Relations competition has been combined with the Best of NAMA Public Relations categories to become the Golden ARC Awards for Public Relations.

The regional entry deadline is Friday, October 17, 2003. No extentions will be granted on entry or payment submission so get your entries in early and often!

What's in a name? When it comes to "cultivating connections," a lot! Fact is, you know what NAMA is all about, what it has to offer, and what your fellow agri-marketing professionals could gain from being a member. That's why we'd like for you to share the names of friends, colleagues, clients - anyone you think is a prospective NAMA member.

We'd like to contact these professionals to invite them to an upcoming meeting and give them other information about timely membership offers. We appreciate your efforts to recruit other members...and certainly hope that continues! Recruiting is most effective at the chapter level. We're not trying to replace that; we're trying to support and help it grow!

Get Growing Now! Submit your names at http://www.nama.org/bucks.htm! For every qualified name you submit in the months of August and September, you will receive $2 in NAMA Bucks - redeemable at any NAMA event, national or local, between September 2003 and April 2004. A maximum of $50 in NAMA Bucks may be earned per person.

New members are the lifeblood of any association. Without new members, revenues and membership roles will stagnate and eventually decline. That is why associations should remember that the first impression a prospective member forms will be key to their decision of whether or not to join. As with a customer walking into a business for the first time, the overall impression from the moment they first contact you will in large part determine whether the prospective member makes the financial and time investment that joining requires. Here are a few suggestions to help turn prospects into new members:

Make a lasting first impression. Treat prospective members like they've already made the decision to join and welcome them to attend one of your chapter meetings. Be sure the prospective member is introduced to a couple of other members (preferably ones who are willing to act as hosts). Current members who project a "we're glad you're here" attitude or who could be good networking contacts for new members should be sought out to act as prospective-member hosts.

Create a dialogue. The prospective member has reasons for being interested in NAMA. It is crucial to understand what brought them to you. The ultimate question in the prospect's mind is, "Will this be a good investment of time and money?" Listen to their needs and explain the benefits from a member's point of view.

Seek Feedback. Ask prospective members for feedback on their experience of dealing with NAMA. Find out what their first impression was and invite their suggestions. If the prospect wants to join, have an application ready and help them complete it. If they aren't prepared to join, let them know about other opportunities to learn more about the association (including upcoming meetings which may be of value to them).

Show appreciation and follow up. Send a hand written thank-you note to thank the prospect for their interest in NAMA. It will send the message that you care about them. Someone on your board should make a follow-up call to prospective members who have not yet joined. Listen closely to their concerns and review the benefits of your association. If they haven't decided to join, be ready to offer another opportunity for them to experience the benefits of membership.

Send a reminder. A simple call to let prospects know about your next function or to tell them about a speaker or topic that might be of interest to them will be a strong indication that you are still thinking of them. That type of call sends a clear message that NAMA is unique and service oriented.

Keep in touch. If, after all this attention, the prospect still hasn't decided to join, there is still more you can do: add the prospect to your fax and e-mail list or send them your newsletter (if applicable) for a period of time. Let them know that you are still thinking of them.

Lastly, be sure to get other members involved in this member recruitment. Not only can they provide no-cost support, they'll also get excited about helping your chapter grow.

If you have career opportunities available, please send them to Kathi Conrad at kathic@nama.org by the first day of each month to be included in that month's newsletter. This service is available free of charge.

If you would to list your event on the NAMA calendar, please e-mail the meeting details to Kathi Conrad at kathic@nama.org.