Kentucky Beef Council

Katelyn Hawkins Director of Product Marketing, Kentucky Beef Council

The leaves may be starting to turn in some areas, but we are still reminiscing about the 2021 Kentucky State Fair. The first major in-person event following the outside world coming to a halt in 2020 (a time in which all of us can agree the world did not stop in agriculture because there is no rest for the wicked in our industry) did not disappoint! Thousands of fair goers descended upon Louisville for a taste of normalcy and indulgent fair food, the real draw for any fair goer (myself included). Kentucky State Fair is an eleven-day commitment (not including set up and break down) making it our largest consumer facing event of each year. While the booth space may have looked very similar this year as we continued use of the stunning informational graphics created in 2018, our staff found additional ways to draw people to our exhibit space. Brutus, our short trusty bull, and our big red BEEF letters were each stationed on green turf patches just outside of our booth space to be utilized as prime Instagram worthy photo moments. These two spots were a big hit with fair goers as they sought opportunities to create memories and find the perfect KY State Fair image for their social media accounts. In a twist of events, this year’s KBC exhibit was ground zero to gauge consumer acceptability of an emerging beef product. Performance Foodservice’s Breaded Angus Beef Steak Bites made their debut during the second week of fair as KBC staff sampled the whole muscle, Top Round bites to fair goers who were very excited for the new product. The Steak Bites will launch in foodservice avenues; however, an overwhelming number of consumers surveyed expressed interest in purchasing at the retail level as a quick meal solution for their families. Each person who received a sample was encouraged to complete a quick survey by scanning QR codes posted in our booth. All data collected was shared with NCBA and Performance Foodservice. In celebration of the hard work and dedication Kentucky’s youth invest in caring for and exhibiting livestock, KBC provided a free t-shirt and cheeseburger voucher for all youth exhibitors at State Fair this year as was done in 2020. Not only did this put a smile on the faces of many exhibitors, it also served as a great opportunity to engage with the upcoming generation of agriculture. Beef took center stage on numerous occasions at the Gourmet Garden Cooking Stage in South Wing A Lobby. Staff discussed Kentucky’s beef farm families, cut selection, cooking tips and how to pair beef with varying flavors and ingredients to the audience all while cooking tasty, beef samples for the crowd. A few local celebrities joined in on the fun as Commissioner Ryan Quarles, 2021 Miss Kentucky Haley Wheeler, KDA’s Sean Southard, and Beef Farmer Jon Bednarski all took part in this year’s cooking line up. With this year’s fair officially in the books, we look forward to rounding out summer events and jumping feet first into fall. Be on the look out for tailgating treasures and comforting fall recipes on our social media platforms and strategically placed digital and television ads. Join in on the action by sharing your family’s favorite recipes or festivities to your social media accounts and let’s spread beef’s place at the table all year round!

(L-R) Dave Maples, Chef John Arnold, and Kylie Trail sample Performance Foodservices' Breaded Angus Steak Bites at the Kentucky State Fair