Brownfield

Goodbye to a good friend

The agriculture industry lost a great friend early this morning.  Lee McCoy was a farm broadcaster for many years, so those who knew him through the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and National AgriMarketing Association claimed him as one of their own.  The beef industry felt the same way because Lee had worked in the beef industry and been a Limousin man years before the broadcast bug bit. 

Our friend Lee was ever-optimistic during his fight against cancer.  He raised more than $6,000 for cancer research last year. 

Lee was a Veteran, a husband to Aurora and proud father.  We served together on the NAFB Board of Directors for a few years and most recently, on the NAFB Foundation Board. 

A tribute to Lee is featured on AgWired and another by Gary Cooper at Southeast Ag Net.

Board building

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting Foundation Board of Directors met in Kansas City, Missouri today.  The Foundation funds scholarships, internships, research, farm broadcasting college curriculum and other projects. 

Gary Baker, Ph.D., Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, Bloch School, UMKC, spent some time helping us get our arms around how we'll implement the new strategic plan we worked very hard and spent several months drawing up.  He liked our plan and had some great suggestions for us.

Gary told us that the roots of philanthropy in America go back to barnraising.  I thought that was a great connection since many of those who listen to us or partner with us in some way are the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren of those orginal philanthropists.

Many of us are here in KC for the annual National Agri-Marketing Association Convention which officially kicks off with "Best of NAMA" awards ceremony this evening.

(The NAFB Foundation Board is pictured here, left to right:  Ken Anderson, Ayres Kahler; Cyndi Young, Brownfield Ag News; Terry Henne, WSGW Radio; Randy Koenen, Red River Farm Network; Taylor Brown, Northern Ag Network; Katherine Trent, Katherine Trent, Ltd., Partnering in Agriculture; Greg Akagi, Kansas Ag Network; Hugh Whaley, Osborn & Barr Communications; George Logan, J/G Enterprises; and Bill O'Neill, NAFB.)

2007 NAMA Agribusiness Leader

NAMA's 2007 Agribusiness Leader of the Year is Dale Ludwig.  Dale is CEO and Executive Director of the Missouri Soybean Association and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council.  He told attendees during his acceptance speech here at the 50th Annual NAMA Convention underway in Dallas, Texas:

"I had a dream once, a long time ago - early in my career when I was working at Monsanto - that I might one day be able to win this award.  This is a dream come true."

Dale thanked his wife Rhonda (who used to work as Sales Manager at Brownfield) along with his three children and his parents.  He also thanked his staff at Missouri Soybean, saying they are the greatest group of people ever, and that if he had to go to war, he'd want his staff beside him. 

NAMA Prez

Stephanie Gable with Fort Dodge Animal Helath is the President of the National Agrimarketing Association (NAMA.)  She welcomed attendees here in Dallas with the President's address druing the Convention opening general session. 

Roy Williams, nicknamed "The Wizard of Ads" by an early client was our first speaker this morning.  He talked about the 12 most common mistakes in advertising.  I heard him speak a few years ago at another event and he was just as enlightening - maybe even better - the second time around.   

Day 2 in Big D

NAMA's 50th Annual National Agri-Marketing Convention officially kicks off today in Dallas, Texas.  I flew in yesterday for a National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Foundation Board meeting last night and an intense strategic planning session facilitated by Janice Dahl with Anchor Management from 7am - noon today.  Janice (pictured) most recently worked for United Soybean Board and prior to that, with the American Sheep Industry Association. 

How about this weather?

The weather is always a topic of conversation in the spring as farmers prepare seedbeds and begin corn planting.  This year, however, there are concerns associated with many other Midwestern crops, from grapes and peaches to alfalfa, wheat and clover.  We've been covering the impact of the freezing temperatures on these crops across the Brownfield coverage area on air and online. 

At home over the week-end, my husband had to don Carharts and a hooded sweatshirt to till our garden.

Greg Soulje, Brownfield meteorologist told us it was coming.  Were you listening?