Chicagoland Parents Know Farmers Better Than They Did Five Years Ago

New research shows the Illinois Farm Families Coalition, which your corn checkoff helps fund through the IL Corn Marketing Board, is making headway with the consumers it set out to reach more than 15 years ago.

The coalition surveyed its primary audience, Chicagoland parents ages 24 to 39, in January and early February 2026. It also surveyed parents in the rest of Illinois to catch any differences between urban and rural views. Gracie Pierson, consumer engagement manager with Illinois Farm Bureau, shared the results in a recent interview with Brownfield Ag News.

“The biggest thing I think we can celebrate is that Illinois Farm Families truly is making an impact,” Pierson said.

When the survey was last fielded in 2021, 33% of respondents said they were familiar with Illinois Farm Families. Today, that number is 43%.

The research also tracked a question the coalition has asked since its founding: how many Illinois farms are family-owned? Respondents estimated 46% in 2010 and 47% in 2021. After the coalition’s yearlong “We Are the 96” campaign in 2023–2024, the estimate rose to 50.1%. The actual figure is 96%.

That campaign opened and closed with statewide Super Bowl ads and included regional TV, radio, and print ads featuring 26 Illinois farm families. A partnership with Casey’s put 250,000 stickers on pizza boxes across Illinois during National Pizza Month in October 2023.

Farmers also held their spot as the most trusted profession the survey tests, ranking ahead of health care workers and teachers. Respondents said they still want to learn about food and farming.

Looking ahead, the coalition will keep farmers front and center on social media, including through its new Farmer Ambassador program. Five to six farmers each year create content for Illinois Farm Families, and those posts have drawn engagement rates far above the typical benchmark.

“We want the farmer voice specifically,” Pierson said.

Illinois Farm Families Coalition members include the Illinois Beef Association, IL Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Soybean Association, and Midwest Dairy.

Follow along at watchusgrow.org or on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.