Kneeling:Taylor Lekin, Dresden Eldridge, Frances Jackson, Delaney Nichols, Baylee Butler 2nd row: Abby Llewellyn, Layne Murty, Connor Murty, Lane Lekin, Brooke German (IBIC), Leah Mosher, Cody Kline, Emily Pansegrau, Megan Pansegrau, Julie Gray (Advisor) 3rd row: Levi Beenken, Abe Dieleman, Madde Green, Cody Butler, Garrett Nichols, Alyssa Beenken, Lauren Mosher, John Edler, & Cael Kline.

Ever wonder what it takes to be a good advocate for something you have great passion for? Several youth from Marshall & Tama County are learning what it takes to do just that. Brooke German, Director of Marketing for the Iowa Beef Industry Council led a presentation to the Mid Iowa Youth Beef Team on how to be an advocate for their passion-BEEF. Did you know that we are three generations removed from the family farm, but yet 97% of the farms are still family owned? Many times the beef industry gets a lot of negativity from people thinking that beef comes from factory farms, when in reality is does not. This is one of the topics that our group is continuing to learn about so we can provide consumers with the correct information. When advocating for our industry it is important that we can find common ground with who we are talking with and to ask questions. It is often helpful to give personal examples from experience and to stay informed on the lasts topics making news. We learned many ways on how to connect with people through social media, such as, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, & Instagram. In some cases there are certain groups out there that will respond in a negative way to what you are presenting, but the best thing to do is to just not respond or throw insults. Blogging is another way to advocate. We learned about ways to capture the audience attention and inform them about our beef operation. To be the best we can be at our duty we must get involved, fight fiction with fact, speak with consumers one on one and correct misinformation. We must listen to what people have to say and find our common ground and share our experiences. EASE is a good way to remember what we need to do, first we must engage, acknowledge, share, and then earn trust with the people whom we are talking to. With all of these great tips this group of young advocates are on their way to making the beef industry the best it can possibly be. Here are some nutrition facts on beef in case you didn’t know. Beef gives your body more of the nutrients you need. Here is Beef’s Big 10, Iron, Choline, Protein, Selenium, Vitamins B6 & B12, Zinc, Phoshorus, Niacin, and Riboflaven. These nutrients promote and build muscle, help your body use oxygen, support energy production, help maintain a healthy immune system, along with much more. And you can get all these nutrients in a 3 oz. lean cut of beef for only 150 calories. BEEF IT’S WHAT FOR DINNER.