March 29, 2024

Peabody: ISA wraps up its summer of #SoyFromIllinois

As the No. 1 soybean producing state in the United States, Illinois soybeans have a significant impact on the state’s economy.

But do our Illinois communities and our non-ag audiences have awareness of this versatile crop’s impacts on the state’s economy? That’s a question the soy checkoff looked to help answer this summer.

The Illinois Soybean Association recently wrapped up the second year of its #SoyFromIllinois campaign, building on success from the campaign’s first year by expanding message reach and tactics across the state in order to build greater recognition and appreciation for the state’s soybean farmers and #SoyFromIllinois.

This year, we specifically zoned in on all the ways soy from Illinois is used in the new uses space, especially right here in Illinois.

As part of the campaign, ISA launched an event series dubbed Summer of Soy, which included two family-friendly, consumer-facing events in central Illinois this summer.

The first of which was a free family movie night in June at the Devon Amphitheater in Decatur. ISA featured the movie, “Field of Dreams,” and shared messages about the many everyday uses of soy from Illinois.

We were thrilled to kick off our Summer of Soy event lineup in the Decatur community — home of some of the biggest soy processors in the world. Soy City is known for its strong agricultural roots and its rich history as a soy manufacturing giant, not just within the state, but globally.

ISA handed out complimentary soy-based crayons and coloring books for children in attendance at the movie night that tell the story of a soybean from planting to harvest and all the places soy ends up in everyday products.

The second premiere event during ISA’s Summer of Soy was a takeover baseball game of the Normal Cornbelters at the Corn Crib Stadium in July. Go, Soy Sluggers!

At the baseball game, we were able to emphasize the way soy is used in many different forms. From the oil used to cook popcorn to plastic cups and even the soy-based turf on the field, spectators were able to see how soy can be used in our daily lives and just how impactful it is on our state’s economy.

More than 43,000 soybean farmers across the state of Illinois contribute to the state’s economy and generate positive community impacts.

The Summer of Soy event campaign was designed to create greater understanding and appreciation for soy-based products — and the Illinois soybean farmers behind them — while providing summertime fun for community members across the state.

To learn more about the Summer of Soy event series and #SoyFromIllinois, visit our website at www.ilsoy.org.

Rachel Peabody is the director of communications for the Illinois Soybean Association.