Checking in on the Checkoff

CHECKING IN WITH CHECKING IN WITH THE CHECKOFF THE CHECKOFF

May Beef Month Reaches Over Seven Million Illinois Consumers

In celebration of May Beef Month, the Illinois Beef Association (IBA) launched campaigns focused on four key beef messages: sustainability, responsibly-raised, nutrition and taste. IBA promoted information ranging from Illinois cattle farmer stories, summer grilling content, and environmental stewardship on social pages and via the Chicago Tribune. IBA also leveraged the Illinois Farm Families (IFF) website and social media properties by sharing these messages directly with Illinois consumers while directing traffic back to the IFF coalition effort.

IBA reached over seven million Illinois consumers during May Beef Month though the following promotions with messages and resources that build trust in Illinois cattle farmers and the beef they raise. • Chicago Tribune burger campaign utilized Chicago Tribune platforms to encourage Chicagoans to kickoff summer grilling season with their favorite burger recipe. • Chicago-area billboards around the city showcased beef as a one-ingredient premier protein source. • IFF regenerative ag docuseries promoted how livestock and crops work together for sustainable soil health. • Operation Food Search beef donation provided ground beef to urban food pantries in Madison and

St. Clair counties. • FarmWeek advertising celebrated the Illinois cattle farmers who make summer grilling season possible.

IBA continued to connect consumers with producers who sell direct through the Illinois Local Beef Directory.

In addition, the following IBA affiliates promoted beef in their area of the state for May Beef Month. • Egyptian Cattlemen’s Association displayed newspaper and social media advertisements. • Heartland Beef Alliance played radio ads on their local radio station and donated ground beef to area food pantries. • Knox County Cattlemen’s Association promoted beef through grocery store giveaways throughout the month of May. • Central Illinois Livestock Association played radio ads on their local radio station. • Union County Cattlemen’s Association played radio ads on their local radio station. • Prairie Beef Association displayed a Beef It’s What’s For Dinner. billboard. • Stephenson/Winnebago County Beef Association donated beef sticks to Rock River Valley Blood Center for blood donors to enjoy.

HEALTHY FOOD NEEDS HEALTHY SOIL

About 95% of the world’s food comes from the soil – farmers use regenerative farming practices to maintain soil health.1

Illinois has some of the most fertile soil in the world and farmers want to keep it that way. In the U.S. alone, soil on cropland is eroding 10 times faster than it can be replenished.2 Livestock and crops work in a sustainable cycle; contributing to a small carbon footprint for raising cattle.

LIVESTOCK AND CROPS POSITIVELY IMPACT SOIL HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

With nearly all the food grown in the world coming from the soil, protecting this vital resource is incredibly important to maintaining a sustainable food supply. As our world population grows, beef and crop farmers are using regenerative farming practices that keep soil productive while lowering their overall environmental footprint.

• A few soil health practices Illinois farmers use to maintain soil health are to reduce tillage, keep the soil protected with cover crops, keep an active living root in the soil, increase diversity with crop rotation and build organic matter with natural fertilizer by incorporating livestock into the system.

• Some Illinois farmland is too steep to grow crops and is better suited for growing pasture grass to feed cattle. Cattle that graze on pasture add to the natural “cycle” of soil health as they convert grasses for feed into energy to grow, and their manure – a great, natural fertilizer source – is worked into the soil.

LOU LAMOREUX

• For farms without pastures, manure from cattle can also be used to supplement soil health by putting valuable nutrients back into soil to grow crops such as corn and soybeans. • Cover crops are planted not to be harvested, but to provide a way for farmers to cover and protect the soil. Once the crop freezes in the wintertime, it decomposes and puts nutrients back into the soil. Cover crops are also a great source of food and bedding for beef cattle.

Changes from adapting regenerative agriculture practices and soil health go far beyond the field. Cattle contribute less than 2% of all U.S. GHG emissions,3 and that number can be reduced even further when farmers diversify their business with crops and livestock. This diversification can help with a farmer’s overall bottom line. Farmers who can remain sustainable and profitable have the ability to continue farming, offer opportunities for the next generation to farm, and in turn support and revitalize local communities and ensure food security for all of us.

To Lou, explaining regenerative agriculture is trying to “put back” as much as you’re taking out of the soil, or more. As a farmer, he feels he has a unique opportunity to help regenerate the soil with the livestock on his farm. With seven grandchildren, it is important to Lou that he is doing whatever he can to help maintain soil health so his family can continue to farm for generations to come.