By: Jean McGuire and Rachel Lechuga
More than 60 agriculture and conservation professionals, gathered on Ag Day at the Illinois State Fair to connect, collaborate, and learn from one another and leave with new tools to carry out continued work in support of sustainability throughout Illinois agriculture.
Sponsored by Midwest Dairy, the event kicked off a furious round of networking bingo served up with cheese snacks. Attendees were prompted with the bingo cards to find and chat with folks working across various conservation sectors to learn more about current conservation or ag related projects. Bingo winners received a unique ISAP cover crop t-shirt to showcase their enthusiasm for cover crops and ag conservation!
Attendees chatting as they fill out their bingo cards.
The bingo winners with their ISAP shirts with Rachel Lechuga, Midwest Outreach Specialist with American Farmland Trust and the lead coordinator for the event.
Attendees then enjoyed a bratwurst and hot dog lunch while networking and received certificates for an ice cream dessert at the nearby Midwest Dairy building. Following the engaging bingo activity, ISAP partners, Midwest Dairy, The Wetlands Initiative, Illinois Extension, American Farmland Trust, Illinois CCA, Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and The Nature Conservancy each shared a bit about their organization and how being members of the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership has helped them accomplish their organization’s goals. Participants learned about on-the-ground solutions to agricultural conservation concerns that ISAP is addressing and prioritized the importance of partnership to advance sustainable agriculture in Illinois.
Selena King, Wellness Manager at Midwest Dairy, describes how membership with ISAP has supported to advance Midwest Dairy’s sustainability focused initiatives.
Megan Baskerville (at podium in rear) Illinois Agriculture Program Director with the Nature Conservancy talks about how ISAP has helped TNC achieve its mission in the state.
The event wrapped up by 2 pm with the drawing for a basket full of ISAP swag and generous donations from ISAP member organizations. Following the event, the planning team received a wave of positive feedback. Discussions are already underway about repeating the event in 2025!
The door prize of Illinois Sustainable Ag swag and donations from member organizations.
Liz Rupel (center), lead organizer with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance receives the door prize from two of the event facilitators Helen Van Beck (left) Midwest Program Manager with American Farmland Trust and Rachel Lechuga (right) Midwest Outreach Specialist with American Farmland Trust.
As part of ISAP’s Alphabet Soup branch of the Network of Practitioners program pillar, ISAP’s Alphabet Soup program provides training and networking opportunities for agronomists, researchers, educators, conservation practitioners, and industry partners. Events include workshops, webinars, and happy hours where members explore issues, discuss strategies and program needs, and share resources related to nutrient loss reduction and conservation practices. If you are interested in joining the next Alphabet Soup gathering, please fill out the request form to stay up to date on upcoming Alphabet Soup events.
Photos taken by Lindsay at Creative312
