Student agricultural marketing team wins national award

UW–Madison’s National Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA) club won the Outstanding Student Chapter Award for the second year in a row at the NAMA annual conference April 16 in Dallas. This is the first time any school has won back-to-back awards.

NAMA sponsors student chapters at 36 U.S. agricultural colleges. Schools are rated on their annual report, which describes management of student programs, membership growth, fund-raising activities, programs with NAMA professionals, and marketing teams.

The 65-member UW–Madison club also won an Innovative Idea Award for sponsoring a marketing team practice session with UW-Platteville and area NAMA professionals. The students simulated contest conditions they expected at the national competition.

Louann Hausner, a junior from Spring Green, Wis. majoring in agricultural journalism and agricultural business management, received a $1,500 Successful Farming scholarship. Deanna Drissel of Kenosha, Wis., majoring in agricultural business management, won the $1,000 sophomore class scholarship.

The team won the first-round competition for the ninth year in a row. They developed a marketing plan for a nacho cheese dispensing system. Gehl Dairy, of Germantown, Wis., provided the background information for the project. The students’ presentation fell just short of making the “final four” in the competition.