Illinois Family Farmers Featured at NASCAR Race

By CnAgri2012-07-10 18:52:29 Print

NASCAR racing fans will once again be able to meet Illinois Family Farmers at the Chicagoland Speedway July 21-22.

Kenny Wallace, a NASCAR fan-favorite athlete, will return to the "Family Farmers" car in the July 22nd NASCAR Nationwide Series race which will be aired live at 1PM on ESPN. Partnered with the television exposure of the "Family Farmers" car, the nearly 18,000 square foot Family Farmers exhibit will allow race fans to learn more about farming, and more importantly, meet family farmers themselves.

The main visual attraction to the exhibit area will be a large display of farm equipment including a combine, tractor, and auger wagon. Once inside, the race fans will be welcomed by Illinois family farmers who will answer questions about farmers, food, and farming. Specific components of the exhibit will highlight livestock production and ethanol.

"Working with the family farmers in Illinois and around the country has been an honor," said Kenny Wallace, who now has nearly 800 career NASCAR starts under his belt. "I've been in combines, I've ridden in tractors, and I've even seen a grain elevator. I'm passionate about sharing what I call 'true knowledge' about family farmers."

"It's become more and more obvious to me that farmers need an advocate on their team. They need somebody that can stand up and challenge all the nonsense that people say about farmers and what they do. That's my job now. Farmers can depend on me," Wallace added.

Wallace and his team, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard, add visibility to the messaging about farmers that the Illinois soybean and corn checkoff programs are pursuing. Through checkoff funded research, the organizations have learned that many consumers are confused about the methodologies used on farms today. In addition, a large portion of consumers don't believe that farms are owned by families anymore when in fact, in Illinois, more than 94% of farms are owned or operated by family farmers.