Association Focus

Paul Walker, Illinois Beef Association President

IBA is borrowing the Illinois Simmental Association motto “Working Together to Make a Difference” (a phrase more organizations should use) and IBA is doing so in many ways. Working together to make a difference pays dividends an association by itself could never achieve. Working together means: • progress occurs at a faster rate. • more total dollars can be utilized. • the cost for each association is less. • each dollar spent produces more value. • more people have buy-in to achieving a common goal. • more people can receive benefit. • I am sure you can add more to this list.

This fall IBA combined forces with University of Illinois Extension through Travis Meteer, Extension Beef Specialist and Illinois Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator, to offer nine in-person BQA Workshops. With additional support from Kent Feeds, these workshops offered the chance for Illinois cattle producers (a free benefit to IBA members) to become BQA Certified for the first time or to renew their threeyear BQA Certification. These 9 workshops were extremely successful certifying 442 producers, and working together IBA, University of Illinois Extension, IBA affiliates, sale barns and Kent Feeds made a difference.

During 2021, the University of Illinois Department of Animal Science worked with IBA to purchase a new feed truck/vertical feed mixer for their research farm in Urbana. IBA provided $50,000 toward this purchase. By working together, increased beef cattle research opportunities can be realized benefiting Illinois cattle producers.

Working with Illinois Department of Agriculture leaders like Ag Director Jerry Costello, Deputy Director Kristi Jones, Illinois State Fair leader Joe Khayyat, and a large group of other staff in Springfield, IBA and the Illinois Beef Expo Committee are bringing the event back to Springfield this year. The trade show will be back in the lower level of the Livestock Center. Barn 110 will house junior show cattle providing more indoor cattle stalling. The Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale bulls will be housed in Building 13 and 14 with a video sale of the bulls in the Artisan Building on Thursday. The MidAmerica Simmental Sale, and the Illinois Angus Futurity and Sale will be held in Building 13/14 on Friday. These changes allow more flexible scheduling on Saturday and Sunday for junior activities. By working together - IBA, IDOA, and our breed associations are making a positive difference.

IBA, with funding support provided by Illinois Corn and Illinois Soybean is increasing activities for the IBA Illinois Beef Leadership Academy. If you are between the ages of 21 to 40 this is an excellent opportunity to improve your leadership skills and to make a difference for the beef cattle industry. Interested IBA and future IBA members should contact the IBA office for more information about the “Illinois Beef Leadership Academy”.

IBA, with funding support provided by Illinois Corn, was able to develop and implement the Illinois Beef Anthem Campaign; this significant marketing effort last year was aimed at promoting beef to urban and suburban consumers through social media. To date over one million hits have occurred, and Illinois Corn has agreed to partner with us again this year, along with additional partnership commitments from Iowa’s Beef Industry Council. Working together, success can be nearly unlimited.

Along with other commodity groups and agriculture organizations, IBA engages in the Illinois Farm Families coalition, which is a public relations program reaching thousands of non-farm families with a positive message about Illinois agriculture. IBA is also a supporter of Illinois Ag In The Classroom - a statewide program that provides positive messages about agriculture to thousands of children, many of whom have never been on a farm.

During 2021, IBA worked with the Iowa Beef Industry Council to advertise beef in the Chicago area. Together we sponsored three billboards. During the month of May, a billboard on the Dan Ryan Expressway received over 600,000 exposures each week. During June and July, two other billboards received between 200,000 and 300,000 exposures per week. Working together to make a difference reminds everyone, “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner”.