PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Iowa State University’s student chapter of the National Agri- Marketing Association has earned several national awards in recent years including Outstanding Chapter twice in the last five years and the 2011 John Deere Signature Award.
Undergraduate students are exposed to practical marketing and communication skills in the Iowa State student chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA).
Stacey Noe with the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative, and Lori Youngberg, program assistant for the college’s distance programs, advise the group’s 60 students.
“What we do in NAMA is directly applicable to what ag marketing professionals do,” says Noe. “We expose students to marketing and communications careers by bringing in speakers from industry, we take them on agency tours, do service projects and provide networking opportunities that sometimes lead to internships and jobs after graduation.”
The chapter’s marketing team competes against other universities in an annual marketing competition that showcases the talent of Iowa State students on a national stage. The competition gives undergrads a chance to build and practice skills in developing a new product or service, a business plan and pitching their ideas in a formal presentation. Team members also earn three credits in agricultural education and studies.
The Iowa State student chapter earned the John Deere Signature Award for overall points accrued for student participation, involvement in the national competition, scholarship awards and annual report at NAMA’s 2011 annual conference and trade show. Noe also has been recognized nationally by earning the Outstanding Adviser award in 2007 and 2010.
