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The National Agri-Marketing
Association provides
training and contacts for professional advancement
Kyle Bauer, a lifelong central Kansas farmer,
decided in 1996 to buy an AM radio station.
He intended to make the programming a
24-hour agricultural format – something he
thought midwestern farmers needed and
could appreciate.Before he made the move,
however, a good friend gave him some
valuable advice. “Joe Berkely told me to join
NAMA,” Bauer says, “and he told me to get
involved with the organization.”Longtime
friends and business associates, Bauer looked
up to and greatly respected Berkely, a past
president of the National Agri-Marketing
Association’s Great Plains chapter. Naturally,
Bauer took Berkely’s advice. And it has
made all the difference.
Today, KFRM 500-AM radio is one of the
nation’s only 24-hour ag-formatted stations,
reaching 149 counties across three states. By
joining NAMA – and becoming an active
member – Bauer made the contacts he
needed to help make his radio station a
success.
“
As a farmer sitting out here in Kansas,”
Bauer says, “I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t
know the marketing people from the companies I wanted to target [a
advertisers]. NAMA gave me the venue t
get to know all those marketing manager
and for them to get to know me.” Bauer’
radio station made a profit in its second
year, and business continues to grow
Revenue jumped 17 percent last year.
It all started with Berkely’s words of wisdom
“It was great advice,” Bauer says. “Especiall
the part about being active. You really ge
out of it what you put into it.”
Bauer is one of about 3,000 professional and
student agri-marketers nationwide who ha
reaped the rewards of a NAMA
membership.
It’s the others in the industry who NAMA President Tom Taylor currently is trying to
reach.
“There is certainly great potential to increase
NAMA ranks through current member
companies,” says Taylor, a 27-year NAMA
veteran. “Our key focus will be to grow
membership among ag input/service
companies. We think we have a good
market.”
A good market – and great benefits. People
join NAMA for all kinds of reasons, Taylor
says. Topping the list, however, is career
development.
NAMA’s membership is dispersed
throughout 26 chapters in six national
regions. Throughout the year, NAMA
members attend seminars and regular
chapter meetings, which focus on the latest
ag marketing trends and topics. These
meetings are designed to address critical
issues in areas such as product/species
management, Taylor says, as well as public
relations, sales and marketing
communications.
Chapter meetings are also a great venue for making business contacts, Taylor
adds.
Networking and professional development go
hand-in-hand, and most NAMA members
take advantage of those opportunities.
“We rely on the ability to network with other
NAMA members to learn the latest in
business trends and communication
techniques,” says Christopher Whitehead,
John Deere’s advertising and marketing
manager. “Plus, educational resources like
NAMA’s Boot Camp help develop and
expand our employees’ skills.”
The Boot Camp to which Whitehead
referred is yet another example of NAMA’s
professional development opportunities. The
organization offers the annual crash course
for industry newcomers that covers
everything from “Livestock 101” to “How to
Write a Marketing Plan.”
In addition, NAMA hosts the annual Agri-
Marketing Conference and Trade Show,
where you can meet the key players of the
industry and see new products and services
coming into the industry.
Taylor, who is the associate publisher of High
Plains Journal, can speak to the career
development benefits of NAMA as well as
anyone.
A 1970 Kansas State graduate, Taylor started
in the sales department of High Plains
Journal. His NAMA membership provided
the training, experience and contacts
necessary to ascend to his current position.
“Because of my early association with NAMA
and chapter activities,” Taylor says, “it helped
me to focus better on the art of selling. I
found that, through my NAMA experiences,
I learned to interact better with clients and
prospects, and I learned to sell more
effectively.”
Of course, there is much more to NAMA
than career development.
It’s a place to share ideas, Taylor says. NAMA
lets you stay abreast of the latest news, ideas,
developments and best practices. If
something is working well for a member, they
are likely to pass the technique or strategy on
to a peer.
“Although there are competitors in the
association, that competitive spirit is put
aside to work toward the future of our
industry,” explains Margaret McLean, the
senior communications manager of Syngenta
Crop Protection, Inc.
NAMA members also are privy to the latest
agricultural news and trends through Agri
Marketing magazine. In addition, Members
have access to the most comprehensive agri-
marketers directory available, NAMA’s
National Membership Directory.
Bauer, the Kansas farmer and radio station
owner, says he uses both tools to remain
current on all industry updates – he has to in
order to give his listeners the most pertinent
and up-to-date programming possible.
Taylor, Bauer and almost every NAMA
member will tell you that an investment in
the organization can pay dividends to anyone
in the agri-marketing industry.
“I’ve never belonged to another organization
where I felt I got my money’s worth as much
as I have with NAMA,” Bauer says.
For more information on NAMA and how
you can join, go to www.nama.org.
National Agri-Marketing Association
11020 King Street, Suite 205
Overland Park, KS66210
913-491-6500
FAX: 913-491-6502 |
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