There may be less than four months until Christmas already, however, there are just a few days before the schedule of fall and winter events and tradeshows for the ag industry begin! In September there’s the U.S. Ship House of Delegates meeting and Leman Conference. October brings Porktoberfest in its many forms, locations, and iterations. We look forward to state pork meetings and congresses as well as more regional gatherings where experiences, information, and strategies are shared.
Are you ready?
The team at HMG is working on tabletop and standalone displays, preparing communications to support product launches at upcoming events, and making travel plans, too!
We are always available for a call or virtual meeting to discuss your communications and presentation needs as we enter this wild season. While preplanning is always preferred, we also know last minute decisions lead to rush orders for making your message heard by your desired audience when they gather over the coming months.
Reach out! We’ll be there to help tell your story!
In observance of Labor Day, our offices will be closed on Monday, September 4. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, September 5.
In October, Barb will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the 4-H House Cooperative Sorority at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Here’s what her peers had to say:
Congratulations to Barbara Campbell Determan, Agricultural Communications major affiliated with the class of 1975! Barb embodies the spirit of 4-H by using her head, heart, hands, and health to forge paths for women in agricultural occupations.
Currently she heads the marketing company she founded, Heartland Marketing Group, which helps agriculture and public policy organizations tell their stories through a variety of media.
On campus, Barb mentored many house sisters who were also studying Ag Com. She was active in Hoof and Horn, Ag Communicators of Tomorrow, and Nabor House Big Sisters, and she also chaired a committee for Plowboy Prom in 1973. A favorite memory occurred on a particular Plowboy Prom weekend. She and some of her friends decided that they weren’t satisfied with the outfits they had chosen for the dance. At the last minute they bought new patterns and fabric and set up 4 sewing machines in the dining room. They began working on Friday afternoon, pulling an all-nighter to complete their new ensembles in time for the dance!
Barb broke the stereotypes for women in agricultural jobs, entering the workforce at a time when the Equal Rights Amendment and Title IX were hotly debated. She was one of the first female salespeople in the animal sales department hired by Upjohn, a pharmaceutical company. She was the second female president of the National Pork Producers Council and the second female president of the United States Animal Health Association. After moving to husband Steve’s family farm near Early, Iowa, when they married, she created her own marketing firm which became Heartland Marketing Group in 1993 and is now celebrating its 40th year.
Barb is the past president of the National Pork Producers Council(2001-2002). She was elected to the Pork Industry Hall of Fame in 2017 and has a Certificate of Tenure from the National Association of Farm Broadcasters for 15 years. She was nominated by Iowa’s governor to serve on the Iowa Great Places Citizen Advisory Board and still serves on that board. This board supports the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, whose mission is to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places, and points of pride that define the state.
Barb has also been recognized for her dedication to her community. She has been a 4-H leader for the Early Achievers 4-H Club for 40 years and counting and has also served on the Iowa 4- H Foundation Board. She and husband Steve were named to the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame for Sac County in 2012. They were Grand Marshals of the 2021 Early Crossroads Days in recognition of their involvement in the community.
In addition, Barb continues to love and support 4-H House. In 2013 she led the 1970’s alums in a campaign to help raise money for the kitchen renovation. As a result, the group donated $13,000 to the fund. Since at least 2014, all alums have benefitted from Barb’s generosity: each year she provides one of her employees to complete the graphic design work for The Homefront as well as other various house brochures and publications.
When asked about what Barb loves most about 4-H House, she replied, “ when you come into the house you have support instantly.” The quick change of sewing a new outfit overnight for Plowboy Prom with supportive house sisters is just one memorable example. We can probably think of a special house sister or more who supported us, and for Barb this was Elaine Simon and Martha Wax Burris.
We thank you, Barb, for your support of women in agriculture, your inspirational spirit, and your dedication to 4-H and 4-H House. Congratulations to Barb Campbell Determan, 4-H House Distinguished Alumni Award Winner for 2023.
