NAMA Marketer of the Year Winner

Agribusiness Leader of the Year Winner
2001 AMC Home

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) has honored Wendell A. Knehans, Director of Marketing, Monsanto - Corn States, with the NAMA Marketer of the Year award. The award will be presented at the Best of NAMA/Golden ARC awards Wednesday, April 11, and kick off this year's 2001 Agri-Marketing Conference and Trade Show.

New this Year, NAMA recognizes its active members with senior management of marketing and/or sales responsibilities with the NAMA Marketer of the Year. This new award is NAMA's most prestigious honor awarded to active members of the association and is designed to honor outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing.

Over the past 18 months, Knehans and his marketing team have stimulated growth in biotechnology despite an environment of increasing industry and public concern. Totals for the 2000 season indicate that Roundup Ready Soybeans exceeded 1999 acres and penetrated the U.S. bean market by more than 50 percent. Roundup Ready Corn and YieldGard penetration also grew in 2000 particularly amongst partners marketing under the Monsanto grower licensing approach.

In 1999, Knehans served as customer marketing manager for the Midwest with primary responsibility for Roundup Ready Soybeans and was responsible for all marketing within the Midwest regions. Most recently, Knehans has been named Director of Marketing for Corn States Hybrid Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Monsanto that is responsible for the marketing of genetics, traits, and agronomic systems to and through seed licensees/partners. In this position, he began to focus on increasing demand for Monsanto traits and agronomic solutions through working with the Monsanto and Seed Licensee marketing and sales team.
Knehans has been a NAMA member while working in the marketing area with Monsanto. He has participated in several educational conferences, including the NAMA Issues Forum and past Agri-Marketing Conferences. Knehans' past work with Monsanto has been honored in previous Best of NAMA/Golden ARC award competitions.