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• IFB Weekly - April 10, 2023
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• Earned Media Update
• Most Recent Talking Points as of 4/5/23
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March Earned Media Update: News Coverage Focuses On New Illinois Statewide Wind, Solar Regulations

April 10, 2023

Each month, Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) facilitates media interviews with mainstream news channels on a variety of agricultural topics. Subsequent interviews are monitored and measured based on the number of media placements, potential audience reach, and advertisement value equivalency (AVE) to provide insight into the volume and reach of IFB’s messaging as a top news source for Illinois agriculture. Continuing past month trends, IFB maintained a steady pace of media requests in March. Major topics for the month included a new Illinois law setting statewide standards for wind and solar regulations (HB 4412) and Illinois legislative updates.

From March 1 through March 31, 2023, IFB fielded 16 interview requests from print/online publications, radio and TV news outlets, generating 234 news placements and potentially reaching 33.4 million people, which had an advertisement value equivalency (AVE) of $309,705.

For comparison, in Feb. 2022 IFB facilitated 24 media interviews, which yielded 244 placements and potentially reached around 437.3 million people, an estimated AVE of around $4 million.

Media inquiries and subsequent audience are trending down over the previous year. This is largely due to the trending news themes. Last year, IFB received a high volume of media requests following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent agricultural supply chain issues, such as fertilizer prices and shortages, wheat (in relation to the war), and year-round E15 (increased conversations due to the war and the need for energy independence).

Despite the slight decrease in media requests, IFB remains a top source for agricultural news. We continue to work with national, state, and local news outlets on a variety of topics. To highlight ongoing coverage and to thank IFB farm members who to take time out of their schedule to speak with members of the news media, IFB launched the “In the News” webpage within the IFB newsroom. The webpage provides the latest media coverage featuring IFB farm members. The webpage is accessed under the “Resources” tab at www.ilfb.org. To check out the latest media coverage, visit: www.ilfb.org/in-the-news/. 

While social media sharing buttons are not yet available, we encourage visitors to share the news coverage from the webpage with your social and professional networks.

In Early March, IFB President Richard Guebert joined H Wayne Wilson with WTVP-PBS to talk about numerous agricultural topics, including the 2023 farm bill, Mexico’s proposed GMO ban on corn, nutrient loss reduction, cover crop expansion, changing weather patterns, supply chain disruptions, urban agriculture, and more. Watch the full segment here.

Recently, IFB District 3 Board Director and Mercer County farmer Jeff Kirwan spoke with the Herald & Review about Mexico’s ban on GMO corn. “That could have a devastating impact on our export market,” Kirwan told the Herald & Review. Read the full interview and coverage here.

IFB Vice President Brian Duncan also appeared on FOX Business in early March as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency weighed tougher regulations on Livestock farmers. His message? Livestock farmers are already drowning in regulations. View the full clip here.

Find more IFB members “In the News” at www.ilfb.org/resources/newsroom/in-the-news/.

March Top Reach, Syndication, and Social Echo

March was a busy month for earned media coverage, with articles covering a range of topics including Illinois state-wide solar and wind regulations and Illinois legislative updates. Several articles had exceptional potential audience reach, the highest being 1.72 million. Many articles had high syndication levels, which refers to how many news channels share the same article across platforms. A few articles achieved high social echo, which refers to articles or broadcasts that had high engagement on social media.

Highest Reach

• “U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary – Durbin meets with Illinois Farm Bureau” — This is a press release that originated from U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s office and discusses the recent IFB Leaders to Washington trip during which IFB leaders spoke with the senator about various issues. The press release was shared and published in a few newspapers in Illinois. It was also published in GovInfo, a service of the U.S. Government Publishing Office which provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the federal government. The publication has a potential audience reach of 1.72 million.

Most Syndicated

• “Meat, dairy demand remains strong amid price volatility” — This article originated from FarmWeekNow and was shared through Illinois Farm Bureau’s Ag News Service, a partnership with the Illinois Press Association. The article discussed how meat and dairy product demand remained stable even as prices at the grocery store soared. The article had the highest syndication for March.

Top Social Echo

• “’A selfless servant with a heart of gold.’ Remembering community pillar Pat Hennenfent” — This feature article from WGIL honors the memory of Pat Hennenfent, a long-time Knox County board member and active agricultural community member.

For additional information or questions, please contact IFB Media Relations Specialist Sierra Henry at shenry@ilfb.org or Director of Issue Management DeAnne Bloomberg at dbloomberg@ilfb.org.