Jack Plot Vegas

Everyone came out a winner at the 2008 JackPlot!™ Vegas National Competition – at least in the game, if not at the blackjack tables!

Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and the event itself was first class. The Winfield Solutions marketing team – including Josh and Nathan and Allison – deserve a standing ovation for the planning and execution of this great show. Also give a hand to Rob and Dana with InHouse Media for all they did to make JackPlot!™ a winner.

This is one great looking group of contestants (click on the photo to see a larger version) and it was wonderful to see that nearly everyone stuck around for the final round to see who got the title. New friendships were made and a whole lot of fun was had overall. Everyone really was a winner.

Please check out the Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album to see all 250 pictures from the event. I think we’ll make this my last post. I did add some videos to previous posts – there are 20 posts altogether, so scroll down and click on older entries to see them all from the beginning.

It’s been my pleasure to be your JackPlot!™ Vegas blogger. Viva Las Vegas!

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

Everybody seems to agree that JackPlot!™ has been a winner by providing a fun way for growers to learn more about agronomics.

Monsanto was one of the partners in the development of the JackPlot!™ game and competition and Randy Longest says it was a fun project all the way through. “We got started from the very beginning when the Winfield Solutions marketing team first came up with the idea,” Randy says. “We actually spent some time helping build some of the questions into the game.”

“This game was just a real novel and unique way of actually helping educate growers on some of the Monsanto technologies that are represented in the Croplan Genetics seed line up,” he said.

Listen to an interview with Randy here:

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Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

It got down to a Husker vs. Husker contest in the Final Four with the two Nebraska teams taking first and second place.

But in the end at the elevator it was Gene Wollenburg and Larry Edgar who will be watching the Super Bowl on a 48-inch plasma television!

Congrats to everyone for playing JackPlot!™

Post update – here is an interview with the winners:

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And here is a video of the winners:

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

The Final Four teams have been selected and the last games are underway here at the JackPlot!™ Vegas National Competition.

Our Final Four – who got the highest total scores from yesterday’s four games – are Mike Casper and Jacob Homewood of Kansas, Jon Carter and Scott McKay of Louisiana, Dan Martensen and Clete Kamrath of Nebraska, and Gene Wollenburg and Larry Edgar – also from Nebraska.

Best of luck as we head to the finish line!

Here is a little video of the Final Four being introduced:

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

Well, JackPlot!™ is actually the name of the game – but education is the main goal, along with having fun.

Ryan Moeller is regional product manager for Winfield Solutions and during dinner Friday night he gave growers a lesson in “R to the Seventh” – the Right genetics, with the Right traits on the Right soil types planted at the Right plant population in the Right crop rotation with the Right crop protection products and the Right soil fertility management. Even with a little competition from the hotel alarm system, Ryan stayed on message about how they can help growers maximize profit by choosing the right hybrids to fit their particular situation. “Every hybrid has its strength and weaknesses,” Ryan said. “Every hybrid is going to do well in a certain year and do poorly in another year.”

Ryan also talked about Advance Coat Zinc, which will be standard on all their new Croplan Genetics hybrids for 2009 at no extra cost to growers. “The Advanced Coat Zinc is applied to the seed with a polymer,” Ryan said. “It gives the plant a shot of zinc that it needs right away in a zinc deficient environment.”

Listen to an interview with Ryan here:

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Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

The first day of the JackPlot!™ National Competition is over and most players are heading out on the town. They can have a little fun tonight as the final round begins after lunch on Saturday.

Playing four rounds of a board game in five hours can be pretty exhausting and the teams really put a lot of effort and strategy into it while having a lot of fun. The Final Four will be announced after lunch and the last two rounds will determine the first ever National JackPlot!™ Champion!

The audience had their own competition going as they were able to win chips by answering trivia and other fun questions. Everyone has a clicker that provides instant feedback to answer questions.

Here is a little video of the open of today’s round as all the contestants were introduced.

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

The JackPlot!™ game is a pretty unique way of reaching out to farmers beyond traditional advertising and trade show exhibiting.

One of the minds behind the development of the game was Josh Krenz, marketing manager with Winfield Solutions on the Croplan Genetics brand – who is also serving as one of the game show hosts here in Vegas.

“The concepting of the game began in the fall of 2006,” Josh said. “The game itself was finally complete in February 2008.”

Josh says they wanted the game to be educational and fun. “We actually did a survey here a couple weeks back of folks that had played the game or received it in the mail and 75 percent said that it was fun and educational, so we achieved our goal.”

The game was sent to 25,000 growers nationwide who were close to one of the Answer Plot® events this year and 16 of them were randomly selected to become high rollers here in Vegas for the first-ever JackPlot!™ National Competition.

Listen to an interview with Josh about the game:

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Wade Kallevig and Dale Scheffler are the JackPlot!™ Vegas contestants from Minnesota. Wade is the farmer from Wilmar and both are hoping for a big win here in Vegas! Listen to an interview with them here: Team 15 Interview

And last, but certainly not least – Team 16 is Doug Lesher and Justin Freeland from South Dakota. Doug is a fifth generation farmer from Pierpont who has been studying the game and hopes to be a winner! Listen to an interview with Team 16 here: Team 16 Interview

You can vote for your favorite team by clicking on the link over on the right side bar!

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

Louis Kieler and Steve Bailie make up Team 13 from Wisconsin – one of the Cheesehead teams. Louis is a family farmer who has dairy and beef cattle and grows corn and beans.
Listen to a short interview with Louis and Steve here: Team 13 Interview

A father and son team from New Hampton, Iowa are team 14 – Nick and Daniel Feenstra. Nick is the dad with his son Dan the agronomist – maybe Dan the Answer Man? Might give them an edge!

Team 14 Interview

You can vote for your favorite team by clicking on the link over on the right side bar!

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

The Kansas team is Mike Casper and Jacob Homewood. Mike has been farming in Chanute for over 30 years and hopes to use some of that expertise to win a big screen TV. Listen to an interview with them here. Team 11 Interview

Darrell Bassen and Kelly Kingzett from North Dakota are our Team 12. Darrell grows corn, soybeans, wheat and sometimes barley.
Team 12 Interview

You can vote for your favorite team by clicking on the link over on the right side bar!

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album