For the sixth consecutive year, the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) were both recognized at the National Agri-Marketing Association’s (NAMA) Region 3 awards in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Council has been awarded at NAMA every year since 2018. The farmer-led group, which directs the state’s soy checkoff, earned four awards, including:
Minneline e-newsletter – First Place (co-published with MSGA)
2022 Annual Report – Merit
2023 Farmfest Booth – First Place
Augmented Reality Future Farmers – First Place
“We’re super excited for our board and staff to be honored at NAMA,” said Council Chair Tom Frisch, who farms in Dumont. “From print publications to embracing new technologies, these projects are showing the ongoing value of the soy checkoff in creative ways.”
MSGA, a policy group that advocates on behalf of the state’s nearly 28,000 farmers, earned a pair of first-place honors. Soybean Business, MSGA’s official publication since 2002, submitted three issues and repeated as the winner of the Best Company and Association Magazines category. In 2023, Soybean Business earned a merit for the first time in the national Best of NAMA.
MSGA also was recognized for a March 2023 press release announcing it had joined a lawsuit challenging the state of Minnesota’s adoption of California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate. The press release garnered state and national attention, leading to a sharp spike in MSGA’s membership totals. It’s the second time MSGA has been awarded national accolades for its press releases. In 2019, MSGA, which is the nation’s longest-running state soybean association, earned a NAMA award for a press release blasting an administrative policy that would’ve fined farmers tens of thousands of dollars in fines for noncompliance with the state’s buffer laws.
“These awards aren’t small peanuts; this is big time. I want to thank our entire communications team for their hard work,” MSGA President Bob Worth said. “The industry is seeing we’re doing the right thing for our farmers and membership by being proactive and not afraid of taking a strong stance. And our magazine is truly one of the best in agriculture.”
All six of the Council and MSGA’s awards will be eligible for the national Best of NAMA in April in Kansas City, Mo.
Both MSR&PC and MSGA are overseen by Ag Management Solutions, a full-service, Mankato-based group specializing in executive management, accounting, administrative services and marketing and communications expertise.
