NAMA Recognizes Butterball, LLC for Agricultural Communications

Feb. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- RALEIGH, N.C. –  Butterball, LLC and its agency of record, Howard, Merrell & Partners, were presented regional and chapter merit awards by the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Carolinas/Virginia chapter during the annual Best of NAMA awards banquet which was held on Thurs., Jan. 27 at the Junior League of Raleigh Center for Community Leadership.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by such a highly regarded community of industry professionals for Butterball’s efforts in agricultural communications,” said Keith Shoemaker, CEO, Butterball, LLC. “Our goal through these campaigns is to strengthen North Carolina’s agricultural economy and to support the local farming communities by providing valuable, accurate information to the media. Receiving these awards demonstrates that our work is successful in achieving these initiatives.”    

Butterball worked with its corporate communications agency Howard, Merrell & Partners to gain local and national coverage during the 2009 “Fresh Season” leading up to Thanksgiving. The team promoted positive industry messages and celebrated company milestones such as the processing of the millionth bird at Butterball’s two whole bird facilities. Butterball also leveraged its second annual Garner schools art contest to engage students and reinforce the importance of agriculture in education. Communication efforts resulted in coverage reaching an audience of more than 83 million, further disseminating positive messages about agriculture throughout communities across the nation.

The 2009 White House Bird press conference and media relations campaign was implemented after the National Turkey Federation selected a Butterball grower to provide the National Thanksgiving Turkey. A press conference at the Worley Family Farm, Princeton, N.C., showcased where the presidential turkey was raised. Media were invited to tour the turkey house, meet and greet the owners and photograph the winning bird. The effort reached an audience of more than 3 million.

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About Butterball, LLC:
Butterball, LLC is the largest producer of turkey products in the United States. Headquartered in Garner, N.C., Butterball produces more than 1 billion pounds of turkey each year, and the company supplies its products to more than 30 countries. Perhaps best known for its succulent whole bird products, the company also has a broad array of offerings for deli, retail and foodservice.

As the industry leader in quality and food safety, the company employs numerous processes to ensure the health of birds and implements recognized prevention measures to exceed food safety standards in its seven plants located in North Carolina, Colorado, Arkansas and Missouri. In addition, Butterball has surpassed important workplace safety and health benchmarks set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program.