By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

NORMAL, Ill. — Representatives from the Illinois Pork Producers Assoc. (IPPA) were welcomed to the Corn Crib Aug. 5 by officials with the Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) and Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB).

Officials and volunteers from the IPPA were on hand for the Normal CornBelters’ Frontier League baseball game at the new $12 million stadium – named by the ICMB – to promote “Pork Power,” a food relief effort sponsored by the pork producers with support from the corn growers and the Illinois Soybean Assoc.

During the promotion, pork producers and grain farmers stood shoulder-to-shoulder manning an informational booth that doubled as prize headquarters for a roulette-style wheel, which youngsters were allowed to spin for bounty. A small donation to the Pork Power program purchased an IPPA-themed “I Dig the Pig” t-shirt or other porcine-themed items.

The promotion featured a sampling of freshly-grilled pork burgers that were distributed by volunteers working the crowd with serving trays and smiles. Five hundred one-third-pound fresh pork patties were grilled, portioned and distributed during the event, said Tim Maiers, IPPA communications and public relations director.

“The Pork Power program is a great way to allow producers to tell the story of modern pork production,” Maiers said, while greeting visitors to the booth. “Pork Power is our food bank program. We’ve provided over 500,000 meals to needy families in Illinois through this program, which allows all of agriculture to come together to help folks in need.”

Reaching a traditional non-farming audience was a main objective behind the IPPA’s decision to bring Pork Power to the Corn Crib, which was christened before 6,000 baseball fans on June 1.

“It’s neat to have an opportunity to talk to them, and relate to them about farming,” Maiers said of the crowd, which was largely comprised of local college students, urban families and retirees. “Our role is feeding folks – that’s what our producers do. This gives us a chance to tell our story.”

Naturally, when farmers get together for a social event, the conversation can easily turn to business. Dail Todd, secretary of the ICMB, talked about pork producers’ profitability with Illinois pork producer Dan Koster, saying he’d “turned a corner” in terms of profitability earlier this year after several years of lean times.

“It was because of prices, and the prices have been driven by the (reduction in herd) of pigs along with a little more demand,” said Koster. “We went from the red to the black around February.”

Todd said producers should be able to ensure profitability by pre-managing their risk over the next five quarters.

Other farm-oriented groups in attendance at the Corn Crib included FS Total Livestock Services of Effingham, and a contingent from nearby Pioneer Hi-Bred.

“Pioneer provided the actual seed for the corn that grows behind the outfield fence here at the Corn Crib,” said Tricia Braid-Terry, media and public relations director for the ICGA/ICMB.

The event came about as a result of a co-sponsorship agreement the IPPA entered into with the corn growers after the ICMB was awarded sponsorship of the CornBelters’ franchise and naming rights to the stadium in 2009, she said.

“(The IPPA) understands that working on outreach to the non-farming public is extremely important, and we have a common interest,” said Braid-Terry. “Pork producers are also large customers of corn, so it makes sense to recognize those relationships and synergies and bring them all to the table.”

Attendance figures for the game were not immediately available, but the team’s box office operations director said the CornBelters are averaging around 2,500 fans per game.

Though the CornBelters were bested by the Evansville Otters by a score of 10-3, hundreds of patrons came away with a full belly, Dig the Pig clothing and prizes – and a favorable impression of pork producers and agriculture from their night at the ballpark.