Taking care of ‘Business’: AMS wins pair of awards at Best of NAMA
After several bites at the apple, Soybean Business magazine took home the big prize at the National Agri-Marketing Association’s (NAMA) Best of NAMA Awards April 9 in Kansas City, Mo.
Ag Management Solutions (AMS) earned top honors for the External Company and Association Magazines on behalf of Soybean Business, the official magazine of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, a nonpartisan advocacy group supporting the state’s soybean industry. The bimonthly magazine, in circulation since 2002 and highlighting the news from Minnesota soybean farmers and industry stakeholders, earned a merit award in 2024 and had been entered in the Best of NAMA stretching back to the late 2010s. The publication won the long-coveted first-place award for three issues in 2024, including a cover profile of current MSGA President Darin Johnson and a cover story on SoyFoam, a soy-based firefighting suppressant funded by the soy checkoff.
“To be recognized by our peers alongside all the other worthy nominees is humbling and gratifying for our farmer-led board and editorial team,” said Doug Monson, Soybean Business art director and AMS sr. director of integrated marketing. “This award is the culmination of years of hard work, vision, days and nights sweating deadlines – and no shortage of grit and creative instincts. For a plucky ag magazine, a NAMA award is simply as good as it gets.”
AMS, a Mankato-based organization, also won first-place honors on behalf of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) for its Mini–Soyta Golf Course at Farmfest in the Live Exhibits category. The golf course booth at the 2024 event was played on soy-based turf (SYNLawn) and put the many uses of soybeans, along with the miracle bean’s myriad economic and environmental benefits, on the fairway.
“Whether we’re working toward building new markets or designing interactive booths at trade shows, AMS is committed to making meaningful, lasting connections with both the farming and non-farming public,” AMS CEO Tom Slunecka said.
The Best of NAMA awards program recognizes outstanding achievements in agricultural communications. Qualifying for the national level requires first excelling at the regional level. About 1,000 entries from across the nation were submitted for consideration. Since its establishment in 2017, AMS and its clients have won more than a dozen Best of NAMA awards. This year, AMS was also nominated for several other awards, including its advertorial work on behalf of the Conservation Technology Information Center.
“We’re challenging ourselves to raise the bar year after year,” Slunecka said. “I’m incredibly proud of our team to see their hard work being celebrated by a prestigious group like NAMA.”
About Ag Management Solutions
AMS is an agriculture management company serving associations in a fast-evolving industry. The goal of AMS is to streamline ag associations to more effectively and efficiently advocate for members, communicate with industry partners and influencers, and strengthen agriculture’s voice.