Wisconsin Beef Council

Have you nominated your favorite burger yet? ?? The Best Burger Contest is heating up, and the top eight are chosen by YOU! ???? Don’t miss your chance to put your go-to burger joint on the map. Nominate them today and help crown Wisconsin’s Best Burger! ?? Submit your nomination now! https://lnkd.in/gCRHiV4D #WiscoBestBurger

Attention farmers! A workshop for Wisconsin farmers who are direct marketing beef, or considering it, will be held on Friday, April 11 from 1 – 4:30 pm at the Marriott Madison West, 1313 John Q Hammons Drive, Middleton.?The workshop is offered by the Wisconsin Beef Council and is being held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors (WAMP) annual convention.?This will be an opportunity to network with fellow beef producers who are direct marketing, as well as the processors who play a key role in getting beef to consumers.? Register here: https://lnkd.in/gtEiAxiJ

Did you know we release important information about how we invest your Beef Checkoff dollar? It can all be found in our Annual Report. Check out the 2025 report today! https://lnkd.in/gxde2YaG

With strong demand, beef continues to lead the way in retail sales, surpassing other proteins. Explore the full insights here: https://bit.ly/41Zh1kF #BeefCheckoff

Have you heard? Beef Checkoff dollars were strategically invested in an e-commerce campaign in 2024 targeting February’s Heart Health Month and March’s Nutrition Month. Ads ran on retailer online stores and popular consumer platforms, including influencer, cooking, and lifestyle sites. The campaign in Wisconsin generated 1,438,142 impressions, resulting in $914,646 in traceable beef sales—purchases made within 14 days of seeing the ads. This translates to an impressive return on investment: for every $1 spent on advertising, $91.46 worth of beef was sold.

Have you heard about our influencer outreach? We worked with Chef Jeff Igel with Fox Valley Technical College to host a Beef & BBQ event at Riveredge Farms near Chilton. The day included a farm tour as well as a tasting and cooking demonstration. We gained great social media traction and established lasting relationships with this group of website bloggers and social media content creators. The influencers present have more than 48,000 followers, and many of them shared the experience throughout the day on their social media stories. We were also featured in a few reels and static posts that were created after the event, which lead to more positive publicity. Additionally, we were invited to join a farm tour with Aldi’s sustainability team. In the spring, we also hosted tours for over 45 students from Milwaukee Area Technical College and Waukesha County Technical College, visiting Broedlow Farms and Country Meat Cutters to showcase local agriculture.

Did you know the Wisconsin Beef Council has long invested Beef Checkoff dollars into growing international demand for beef? This year, we expanded efforts through a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection’s ‘Ag Export Initiative,’ in partnership with the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Two Wisconsin beef producers who sit on the WBC Board joined 13 other industry representatives on a trade mission to Japan and South Korea. They showcased Wisconsin’s beef industry and export-ready products while exploring market opportunities. From January to August 2024, the average beef export value reached $414.88 per head, a 5% increase over last year. Since WBC’s increased focus on Japan, three companies have begun sourcing Wisconsin beef.

Ready for another #BoardMemberMonday? Met Abdullah Hussaini! Abdullah represents the beef industry through the Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association. He started working in agriculture at a young age with a sheep background and developed his beef knowledge with Equity. Abdullah says it is important to inform consumers and producers about the benefits of beef as well as influencers. He thinks it is important for the Beef Checkoff to work with others to increase beef consumption while sharing its story. Thank you for all of your work on our board, Abdullah!

Let's keep looking at highlights from 2024! This year, we hosted the inaugural Wisconsin’s Best Burger Contest, and it was a resounding success! During the one-month nomination period, we received nearly 5,000 entries. From there, burger lovers narrowed it down to the Elite 8—those with the highest nominations—and we sent three secret judges to evaluate each burger. The contest generated an impressive editorial reach of over 113 million across TV, social media, print, and radio, with an advertising value equivalence of $1.1 million, according to Meltwater. The winner, Pickle’s Bar and Grill in Hazelhurst, saw a staggering 530% increase in weekly burger sales from April 1 to June 1. They’ve since hired an additional sous chef and started opening an hour earlier to accommodate the surge in demand.?

From promoting beef as the star of Wisconsin’s Best Burger Contest to expanding e-commerce and export initiatives, your Beef Checkoff dollars worked hard in 2024 to support Wisconsin farmers and the entire industry. Let’s keep building together. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gkjZ-_Mw