Welcome to the Agricultural Relations Council



	Ashley Peterson awarded the Morgan&Myers Food Chain Internship WAUKESHA, Wis. June 12, 2007 -- Ashley S. Peterson will spend the summer honing her communication and research skills as Morgan&Myers' Food Chain Intern. A 2007 graduate of Drake University, Peterson will put her public relations degree to work for a variety of M&M clients, including McDonald's, Case IH, Novartis Animal Health, Foremost Farms and Kraft Foods. "We're pleased to have Ashley on board for the summer," says Tim Oliver, Morgan&Myers president. "She's a strong writer, with experience in animal nutrition and a knack for turning in-depth technical material into interesting reading. Her skill set will serve our clients well." The Morgan&Myers Food Chain Internship is a three-month paid position offering hands-on communications experience working in one of three M&M offices: Waukesha, Wis., Minneapolis and Waterloo, Iowa. Prior to joining Morgan&Myers, Peterson served as a marketing/sales intern for APC Inc., in Ankeny, Iowa; as a communication intern for the Orono School District in Long Lake, Minn.; and as a communications/marketing intern for 4 Community Theatre in Orono, Minn. While attending Drake, Peterson was on the executive council of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and a member of the Student Activities Board. Upon completion of her M&M Food Chain Internship, Peterson will head back to school to pursue a master's degree in mass communication. Morgan&Myers is a communications counseling firm offering advertising, public relations, digital services, event planning and direct marketing. The firm specializes in the agricultural, food and nutrition, and business-to-business sectors.

	An Agricultural Relations Council Report From Bob Giblin on AgWired

	No, it’s not the Silver Anvil, it’s NHL’s Stanley Cup. Steve Drake, president of Drake & Company, and its wife Barb share a moment with the Stanley Cup during The Public Relations Society of American’s Silver Anvil Awards evening. PRSA presented a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence to NCTA, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, FedEx, Ketchum Public Relations and Drake & Company for the 2005 Trees for Troops program. PRSA presented Bernadette Mansur of the National Hockey League with the “Public Relations Professional of the Year award and as part of the ceremony, the NHL gave her the real Stanley Cup for a day (a tradition normally going to players on the Stanley Cup winning team) … NCTA – and now its Christmas SPIRIT Foundation – continues to receive national awards for its marketing and public relations work. Last month, Smith & Harroff and DrakeCo earned the Silver Sabre (Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation) Award for NCTA’s marketing campaign.	Steve Drake and the Stanley Cup

	ARC Becomes Part of Ag Media Summit The Steering Committee of the Agricultural Media Summit LLC has voted unanimously to accept the Ag Relations Coucil as a participating organization in this premier ag media event. This years event will be held July 23-26 in Portland, OR. This means that ARC members will be able to register to attend the event at Ag Media Summit member rates and will be able to develop PR Track programming as part of the meeting. This also means that ARC is being asked to provide one or more representatives to serve on the three AMS committees: Program, Sponsorship, and InfoExpo. Anyone interested in being part of these committees should contact Jeri Omernik at jmo@rmmc.biz. More information about AMS is available at www.agmediasummit.com.

	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Janine Whipps 319.233.0502 Lynne Burns 212.808.258 Rabobank Selects Morgan&Myers for Advertising Work "Vision" Campaign Focuses on Helping Farmers Succeed WATERLOO, Iowa - August 9, 2005 - Rabobank International has selected Morgan&Myers as its agency of record to develop an advertising program to reach the U.S. production agricultural market. Scheduled to start in September, the "Vision" campaign includes both print and radio advertising. "Rabobank is committed to the success of U.S. agriculture, and we are equally committed to providing American farmers and ranchers with superior financial products and expert local service," says Lynne Burns, head of corporate communications for Rabobank International-Americas. "The eye-catching advertising developed by Morgan&Myers tells producers that Rabobank has the resources, expertise and commitment to help them succeed - and it helps build familiarity with our name." Rabobank is one of the leading financial partners to American agriculture, offering a full range of financial products for farmers through a nationwide network of local loan officers, as well as full service banking in California, and banking and capital markets products to U.S. food and agribusiness clients. Rabobank has been serving U.S. agriculture since 1981, and today has over $10 billion in assets under management and loans to American agriculture. "To support our growth strategy and reach our core farming audience, we needed a strong, creative agency partner," Burns says, "a firm that really understands the needs of business-minded farmers. With Morgan&Myers, we've found expertise and passion for agriculture, along with a strong creative approach. They've created a campaign that stands out from the usual agriculture advertising, and reflects the unique and compelling qualities that attract customers to Rabobank." Janine Whipps, principal and director of integrated marketing services for Morgan&Myers, adds, "We have a lot of experience reaching Rabobank's target audience of top tier production farmers. Rabobank's financial strength, agricultural heritage, and commitment to agriculture make a compelling story. And, the team has been given the freedom to develop creative that will get attention. It's a good fit." Rabobank (www.RabobankAmerica.com) is a global financial services leader providing agricultural financing and institutional and retail banking in key markets around the world. From its century-old roots as a Dutch financial cooperative, Rabobank has grown into one of the 25 largest banks worldwide, with over $600 billion in total assets and operations in over 35 countries. Rabobank is the only private bank in the world to have a triple A credit rating from both Standard & Poor's and Moody's, and is ranked among the ten world's safest banks by Global Finance magazine. In the Americas, Rabobank is a lead financier to the food and agriculture industry, and provides banking services to corporate food and agribusiness clients; retail and commercial banking services in California; leasing; and agricultural lending to farmers, ranchers, input suppliers, and manufacturers. Morgan&Myers offers advertising, public relations, digital services, event planning and direct marketing. The firm specializes in communicating and building relationships with stakeholders throughout the food supply chain, including agricultural producers, processors, food and nutrition influentials and consumer product companies. The company has offices in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Waterloo, Iowa, and Jefferson, Wis. For more information, please visit www.morganmyers.com.

	FOR RELEASE June 24, 2005 Contact: Gary Myers 920-674-4026 Tim Oliver 414-615-2058 Morgan&Myers announces ownership succession Myers, Knox retire as planned Milwaukee – June 24, 2005 – Tim Oliver, Linda Wenck, Max Wenck and Janine Whipps have assumed full ownership of Morgan&Myers, executing a management succession plan that has been in development since 1997. The four executives became minority partners in the integrated communications firm in 1997. They have a combined total of 78 years of service to Morgan&Myers clients and will share firm management responsibilities with Oliver presiding. As President and Director of the Biotechnology Practice, Oliver, 47, will also direct the firm's Digital Services team, human resources and information technology operations. Oliver joined Morgan&Myers in 1986 when the firm acquired Freiberg-Frederick Associates. Oliver left Morgan&Myers in 1990 to join the Agricultural Division of The Upjohn Company as Public Relations Manager for that company's subsidiary, Asgrow Seed Company. He rejoined Morgan&Myers in 1996 and was the Chief Operating Officer of the firm's Milwaukee office. Linda Wenck, 43, Director of Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility, will assume additional responsibility for employee development and new business efforts for the firm. She joined Morgan&Myers after graduation from the University of Wisconsin in 1984. She became president of Morgan&Myers' Milwaukee office in 1992. Linda Wenck was president of the National AgriMarketing Association in 1995-96. Max Wenck, 44, will become Director of the firm's Agriculture and Pasture-to-Plate practices. He will also supervise Lou Ann Loeb, who heads the firm's Food, Health and Nutrition practice and manages the firm's Minneapolis office. Max Wenck joined Morgan&Myers in 1993 as supervisor of the firm's Agricultural Group. Before joining Morgan&Myers, Wenck was with DEKALB Plant Genetics, DeKalb, Ill., where he led corn advertising and marketing activities for the U.S. business team. Janine Whipps, 44, will become Director of Integrated Marketing Communications. Reporting to Whipps will be Mike Minford, Creative Director. Based in Waterloo, she will continue to direct the firm's Iowa operations. Whipps also joined Morgan&Myers in 1986 through the Freiberg-Frederick acquisition. Both Gary Myers, President and CEO, and Carol Knox, Executive Vice President, will remain of counsel to the firm but will retire from active daily roles. Wayne Dyson will continue as Chief Financial Officer, but will no longer be a minority shareholder. "The new leadership is incredibly bright, energetic and focused on creating results with fresh ideas. Their keen ag production and consumer insights are the reason why companies like McDonald's and Altria Corporate Services count on Morgan&Myers for expertise from pasture-to-plate," Myers says. "They've surrounded themselves with extraordinary talent in the research, digital services and creative disciplines. And, that makes letting go easy when you have such confidence in the next generation," he observed. "We identified Tim, Linda, Max and Janine as future leaders in the firm when they were early in their careers," says Myers. "They have devoted most of their professional lives to building this team and it is gratifying that we are fulfilling our vision of turning the firm over to quality associates who share our values and culture. They are largely responsible for our success and they are ready to take command." "Our client-focused culture will remain the same," Oliver notes. "We're a close member of many of our clients' teams. They count on us for ideas, solutions and creative approaches to their marketing communications and corporate affairs challenges. We believe supporting our employees' growth and professional development is critical to our clients' success." Morgan&Myers has grown its client roster in the last 12 months with the addition of McDonald's, Foremost Farms USA, Rabobank, Global Animal Management, Watertown Memorial Hospital, The Hershey Company, The Soy Foods Council, Imperial Sugar Company, the North Central Soybean Research Program, Accelerated Genetics and Applied Biochemists. Long-term accounts such as Novartis Animal Health, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Case IH, Oil Dri, Altria Corporate Services, PMUSA and KitchenAid round out a 'solid and growing client base," Myers adds. In addition to working occasional assignments for the firm, Myers plans to complete a book project, consult, and teach integrated communication at the college level. Knox will pursue a variety of community service and Christian outreach interests. Myers was co-founder, with Gaylin Morgan, of Morgan&Myers, in Jefferson, Wis., in 1982. Knox joined the firm as a partner shortly thereafter. In 1986, Morgan&Myers was named to the Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest growing U.S. private companies. The firm expanded into Iowa in 1986 with the Freiberg-Frederick acquisition and expanded into Milwaukee with the purchase of Barkin, Paulsen, Meissner and Kimball in 1991. The firm grew into the food and beverage industry with the acquisition of the SJThoms Associates, Minneapolis, in 1996. In 2000, Morgan&Myers acquired the assets of Sargent and Potratz, Brookfield, Wis., and significantly expanded the firm's advertising and digital communication capability. Gaylin Morgan, who died earlier this year, retired in 1997. Morgan&Myers offers advertising, public relations, digital services, event planning and direct marketing. The firm specializes in communicating and building relationships with stakeholders throughout the food supply chain, including agricultural producers, processors, food and nutrition influentials and consumer product companies. The company has offices in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Waterloo, Iowa, and Jefferson, Wis. For more information, please visit www.morganmyers.com.

	Countryside Tapped to Manage 2009 International Congress The International Farm Managers Association has selected Countryside Marketing, Inc., Menomonee Falls, WI, to manage the organization's 2009 International Farm Managers Congress which will be held in the Bloomington, Illinois area in July 2009. Upwards of 500 professional farm managers and academics from around the world are expected to attend the week-long event. According to Countryside President Carroll Merry, his group will be responsible for all program planning and promotion, organizing two days of "field trips" to agricultural sites in the area, as well as coordinating travel and transportation for the foreign visitors. The primary meeting site will be Illinois State University. The official hosts of the group will be the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers in conjuction with the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.