Over the weekend, my sisters and I participated in the Beef & Eggs 5K run in Brookings, S.D. There were 15 members of Team Beef South Dakota running in the event, and two honorary one-year olds (my daughter included) who had a prime view of the 3.1 miles from the comfort of their strollers.

As we looped through the town of my alma mater, South Dakota State University, I was once again reminded of the bold impression the Team Beef red shirts have on both runners and the crowd at these athletic events.

Photo Credit: Team Beef South Dakota

Across the country, Team Beef members are competing in athletic events wearing their beef jerseys and promoting the power of protein in a healthy diet to fuel active bodies. In addition to wearing the jerseys at these events, here are three ways Team Beef members are making an impact:

1. Team Beef members show up.

The best way to promote beef is to step outside of your comfort zone, quit preaching to other producers, and actually show up to places where consumers are going to be. There’s no better way to endorse beef as a great protein option for athletes than to showcase our own athletic abilities and share our beef story with others.

2. Team Beef members are active on social media.

One of our biggest target audiences is the millennial group. And of course, the easiest way to reach this demographic of consumers is to get online. After the race, there were several social media posts (using the hashtags #runinred & #teambeefsd) that further promoted the Team Beef message and helped beef producers engage with consumers online.

Photo Credit: Riley Buck

Beef lovers and beef producers unite to compete in these Team Beef events, and the best part about this group is they lead healthy, active lives. This means cooking well in the kitchen and staying fit by moving their bodies and challenging their physical abilities. What a great endorsement for beef to have people like this promoting our product.

A fantastic example of this is Team Beef South Dakota’s leader, Briana Burgers, who serves as the South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC) nutrition assistant and director of online communications. Burgers works hard to promote beef on the job and in her personal life. She’s a trainer at a local gym and a blogger, too. And, she shares her family’s beef recipes with her audience while also cheering on Team Beef members at events. Check out her most recent recipe, “Mom’s Taco Salad,” along with other great recipes like “Citrus-Marinated Beef & Fruit Kabobs” and “Beef & Quinoa Meatballs” by clicking here.

I applaud Team Beef members who are promoting beef to a unique demographic of millennials. Do you have any Team Beef stories to share? Let me know in the comments section below.

The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine.com or Penton Agriculture.

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