The Hallock Ribfest was another success, with 23 cooks competing for the tastiest ribs. Ribfest, held Aug. 26, brought out over 300 attendees of all ages for the various events and fun. The Kittson County Soybean Growers were proud to donate to the event and support local agriculture.

“It was a great day to have Minnesota Soybean involved,” Kittson County Board Director Theresia Gillie said. “It got a lot of credit for participating and all that money is going to our emergency services in our county, so they’re pretty excited about the wonderful event they had.”

This all-ages event dedicated additional funds to any emergency service organization that had a cook participate in the cookoff. Each of the emergency services that participated in Ribfest received $500. The sponsorship was part of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council’s special funding project, which dedicated checkoff funds toward county-level promotions. In addition to the Ribfest sponsorship, the Council supported the event through social media, a press release, newspaper and radio advertisements, along with a pull-up banner.

The Kittson County Soybean Growers donated grilling utensils for attendees and competitors to use during Ribfest. Competitors received an apron sponsored by Minnesota Soybean. Prizes were awarded to the top three entries, with first place receiving a trophy with a grill on the top.

First place for best ribs was awarded to Jon Sele, second place to Guy Gustafson and third to James Foley. First prize for the best appetizer went to Robert Carr, Tom Lipinski placed second and Tom Muir finished third.

The day included a Bloody Mary bar, cornhole tournament, bounce houses and face painting and the main event of rib judging. A dinner concluded the event that evening.

Save the date for the next Hallock Ribfest on Aug. 24, 2024.

“We have this conversation about what all of the soybeans go for and soybeans and pork go together. It’s a barbecue thing,” Gillie said on why the board chose to sponsor the event. “Hogs are one of – if not the biggest – consumer of soybeans in Minnesota, so we thought let’s support our hogs and let’s have really good food. Those hogs taste good because they’re eating high protein, Minnesota soybeans.”

With more than 3,000 pig farms, the Minnesota pork industry creates more than 44,000 jobs. The state ranks second in the U.S. in value and number of pigs raised, generating $6 billion in economic value each year. Pigs consume over 20 billion pounds of soybean meal each year.