What are we really marketing?Every time a cattleman says, "I sell calves not beef, so I don't need a beef checkoff A system whereby an employer regularly deducts a portion of an employee's wages to pay union dues or initiation fees. The checkoff system is very attractive to a union since the collection of dues can be costly and time-consuming. ," it reminds me once again how far we still have to go to communicate the importance of cultivating marketing stratagems for U.S. agriculture. Amid increasing global competition, growing disruptions from anti-agriculture groups and escalating production costs, we need to market as effectively for producers as we market to producers. Selling inputs to producers who are the very core of our agricultural industry obviously is critical, and we do it well. But if we aren't equally effective at marketing what we produce to consumers, our long-term viability is at risk. To date, this has been predominantly the charge of commodity promotion programs through which farmers and ranchers have been able to market collectively to consumers. But isn't this really the duty of the entire agricultural industry--particularly with litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. threatening so many checkoff programs? And isn't it shortsighted short·sight·ed adj. 1. Nearsighted; myopic. 2. Lacking foresight. short  sight to focus too much on selling just calves, or tractors, or chemicals? Let's seek better ways to market American agriculture as a whole--from farm to fork--including the commodities we produce and the inputs we use to produce them. Agri-marketers can be a critical link in this chain, bringing together products, producers and consumers. And NAMA's Agri-Marketing Conference in Phoenix, April 20-22, offers a terrific opportunity to do just that. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Tom Taylor (GRP GRP Group GRP Group (file name extension) GRP Glass Reinforced Plastic GRP Gastrin-Releasing Peptide (biology) GRP Gross Rating Point (advertising) )--President High Plains Journal, Dodge City, KS (620) 227-1844 Tom Smull (IOA IOA Institute on Aging (University of North Carolina) IOA Institute of Acoustics IoA Institute of Astronomy IOA Indian Olympic Association IOA Islands of Adventure (Universal Studios theme park) )--President-Elect Associations, Inc., Des Moines, IA (515) 280-7234 Teri Seger (CNA (Certified NetWare Administrator) See Novell certification. ) Secretary/Treasurer Progressive Farmer, Chicago, IL (312) 832-0840 Stephanie Gable (CAR) Bayer CropScience, Durlmm, NC (919) 549-2047 Patty Travis (MIA MIA n. A member of the armed services who is reported missing following a combat mission and whose status as to injury, capture, or death is unknown. [m(issing) i(n) a(ction). ) 5MetaCom, Carmel, IN (317) 564-2008 Susie Becker (COB) Farm Progress Cos., Marion, 1A (319) 377-3080 Monte Reese (ROM) Cattlemen's Beef Promotion & Research Bd., Centennial, CO (303) 220-9890 Ken Anderson (MIL) David & Assimilates, Lincoln, NE (402) 438-4034 Carol Anderson (MOK MOK M-ary Orthogonal Keying MOK Mobile Office Kit (cellular telephony) ) Eidson & Partners, Kansas City, MO (816) 474-0747 CHAPTER PRESIDENTS * Badger (Wisconsin) Suzie Duwe (608) 250-4182 Carolinas/Virginia, Angela Bendorf Jamison (919) 523-5991 Central California NAMA Na·ma n. pl. Nama or Na·mas 1. A member of a people of southwest Africa. 2. The Khoikhoin language of the Nama. . Tim Alderson (661) 834-9176 Chesapeake (Baltimore, Philadelphia) Mike Ricciuto (302) 999-5392 Chicago, Jim Haist (630) 505-1100 Cornbelt (Quad City Area, IA, IL) Louann Hausner (309) 765-7253 Desert Southwest Lee Dueringer (480) 922-8212 Eastern (New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ) Howard Lane (914) 631-3486 Florida Gary Cooper (407) 436-1909 Gateway (St. Louis) Sue Derscheid (314) 576-1770 Great Plains (Dodge City, Wichita) Pete Weil (620) 227-7171 Heartland (Illinois) Krista Wolf, (309) 557-6167 Iowa (Des Moines) Jana Rieker (515) 284-2778 Mid-America (Indiana) John Ameis (317) 773-0259 Midlands (Omaha) Steve Johnson (402) 492-3230 Midsouth (Memphis) Bill Pittard (901) 758-2743 Miasouri-Kansas, Melissa Sanders (816) 584-8444 NAMA Cal (Los Angeles/San Diego) NAMA Pacific (San Francisco/Sacramento) Adam McCarthy (209) 603-8708 North Central (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Jessica Lamker (651) 355-5127 Northern Prairie (Dakotas)Becky Peterson (701) 663-6487 Ohio, Joe Monahan (440) 942-2000 Rocky Mountain (Denver) Mike Flesher Flesh´er n. 1. A butcher. A flesher on a block had laid his whittle down. - Macaulay. 2. A two-handled, convex, blunt-edged knife, for scraping hides; a fleshing knife. (970) 330-4071 Southeastern (Georgia) Judy Austin (770) 390-9692 Southwest (Dallas/Ft. Worth/Houston) Brian Markwardt (254) 761-9838 * Updated as chapter presidents are elected. COUNCILS Agri Broadcast Management Council, Kyle Bauer (785) 632-5661 Commodity Promotion Council. Mike Wegner (515) 223-2600 National Agri-Marketing Association 11020 King Street, Suite 205 Overland Park, KS 66210 E-mail: agrimktg@nama.org Web Site: www.nama.org |
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