Agrimarketing top five events of 2006.

1. The ramp-up in production of sustainable energy sources and products derived from agriculture. Demand pushed corn prices to their highest level in a decade, resulting in record farmland prices and rents, the reduction of government subsidy payments while negatively impacting the livestock industry's profit margins.

2. The battle between suppliers of crop input traits (herbicide and insect resistance, etc.) escalates. Joining Monsanto in supplying traits are Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, and Syngenta.

3. Farm machinery company executive changes. Every major machinery company, and many shortliners, named a new Pres and/or Sls/Mktg Dir in 2006.

4. Monsanto's family of seed companies pulls nearly even with Pioneer in marketshare at approximately 30% share, according to industry experts.

5. The first large-scale commercial use of "Genomic Selection" technology is introduced, allowing researchers to check an animal's traits before its birth.

A special salute to Farm Journal's Pam Henderson who was awarded the 2006 Grand Neil Award, which is considered the "Pulitizer Prize" of the business-to-business journalism profession.

For a listing of the Top 10 and other memorable events, go to www.AgriMarketing.com and scroll down to the December 29, 2007 news.