West Des Moines, Iowa – April 13, 2021 – How would you like to try a tasty dish of beef fajitas or spicy bacon beef nachos? Iowa students from across the state recently participated in the High Steaks! Beef Marketing Competition in a bid to win judges over with their knowledge of beef products and marketing savvy. 

The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF), in partnership with the Iowa Beef Industry Council, hosts the annual High Steaks! Beef Marketing Competition. The experiential learning contest allows students to creatively develop a marketing strategy for a beef product of their choice, while learning about the multitude of agricultural careers and skills it takes to develop and sell a product. Students in grades 3 through 12 were eligible to participate. Students learned about the beef production industry and beef nutrition as a result of participation.

“This competition is an opportunity for Iowa’s elementary, middle, and high school teachers to bring agriculture into their classrooms, incorporating it into subjects they’re already teaching about,” said Will Fett, executive director of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation. 

Student winners announced 

A total of 44 entries were received from elementary, middle, and high schools across Iowa. IALF recognizes the following student winners in this cross-curricular program for elementary, middle, and high school students. 

Elementary Division:

  • 1st Prize: Des Moines Christian Elementary taught by Rhonda Osborn. The student team of Amelia, Averi, Cora, Haleigh, and Anna submitted a poster promoting ‘BBQ Short Ribs.’ 
  • 2nd Prize: Des Moines Christian Elementary taught by Rhonda Osborn. The student team of Fiona, Klayton, Avery, and Megan submitted a poster promoting ‘Homerun Beef.’
  • 3rd Prize: Des Moines Christian Elementary taught by Rhonda Osborn. The student team of Lauren, Kaelyn, Ben, and Lincoln submitted a poster promoting ‘Cattle Driveopoly.’

Middle School Division:

  • 1st Prize: Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School taught by Kristie Kuhse. The student team of Alyssa Barrett, Kyleigh Linder, Ellie Weber, and Maddie Robinson created a marketing plan to sell ‘Red Dog Sloppy Joe French Bread.’
  • 2nd Prize: Waverly Shell Rock Middle School taught by Kristie Kuhse. The student team of Amelia Abben, Addy Huisenga, and Sydney Bieneman created a marketing plan to sell ‘Spicy Bacon Beef Nachos.’
  • 3rd Prize: Waverly Shell Rock Middle School taught by Kristie Kuhse. The student team of Lidia Pawlak, Gracie Gulick, Ellie Heyer, and Andy Britt created a marketing plan to sell ‘Beef Dumplings.’

High School Division:

  • 1st Prize: Lynnville-Sully FFA taught by Jenny Petersen. The student team of Natalie Nikkel, Brooke Maston, Kyle Van Gorp, and Meleisha Vos created a marketing plan to sell ‘The Flamin’ Curd Burger.’
  • 2nd Prize: Alta-Aurelia High School taught by Jamie Haugen. The student team of Brandon Mier, Makayli Snyder, Ella Walters, and Abbie Watts created a marketing plan to sell ‘Beef Fajita.’
  • 3rd Prize: Alta-Aurelia High School taught by Jamie Haugen. The student team of Kelly Jensen, Sara Cargin, and Alex DeRoos created a marketing plan to sell ‘Beefy Cheese.’ 

Submissions were judged by a panel of industry experts, beef producers, and educators. Prizes include up to $200, a personalized virtual tour (FarmChat®) of a beef farm with a local farmer, and first place classrooms will have a BBQ lunch.

Competition Details

  • Elementary students who participated in the contest selected a beef product and then worked together in teams of three or more, or as a classroom, to submit a poster that advertises the product or showcases the health benefits associated with eating beef. 
  • Middle school and high school students who participated worked together to submit a marketing plan of their selected beef-focused product. Their marketing plans included an introduction, product details, marketing tactics, a market analysis, and nutrition information. 
  • Each classroom that participates receives supporting books and lesson plans such as the My Family’s Beef Farm book, Beef: A Healthy Option, or True Beef Educator among other materials.

“We hope teachers find this program a fun and educational experience for their classrooms and a unique way of engaging their students while also learning about beef production in Iowa,” Fett added.

The High Steaks! Beef Marketing Competition opens annually in January and concludes in April of the same year. Interested teachers can sign up for the IALF quarterly newsletter at www.iowaagliteracy.org or follow the organization on our social media channels to be notified of the next competition. The program is funded in part by the Iowa Beef Checkoff.