The Sioux Center Chamber of Commerce has received a regional Marketing & Communications Award from the Mid-America Chamber Executives (MACE) for its “Sioux Grown” campaign, a digital storytelling initiative focused on agriculture in Sioux County.
The award recognizes outstanding chamber marketing efforts from organizations with fewer than 400 members across a six-state region. According to the Chamber, the recognition honors excellence in innovation, originality, audience engagement, and content quality.
A New Approach to Telling Agriculture’s Story
The “Sioux Grown” campaign was created by the Chamber’s Ag Committee as a way to highlight the people, industries, and economic impact of agriculture in Sioux County through short-form digital video content.
The campaign replaced the Chamber’s longtime Ag Luncheon with an ongoing storytelling effort designed to reach audiences year-round through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Chamber CEO Barb Den Herder says the recognition validates the Chamber’s vision for the project.
Highlighting Agriculture’s Local and Global Impact
The campaign was inspired in part by agricultural census data showing Sioux County ranking among the nation’s leaders in several categories, including livestock and crop production.
Den Herder explains that Sioux Grown was developed not only to celebrate agriculture but also to help bridge the growing disconnect between consumers and the farm.
She says fewer people today grow up on farms or regularly interact with agriculture directly, despite the industry continuing to play a major role in the local economy.
Through short videos and social media content, Sioux Grown highlights everything from dairy and livestock production to crop agriculture and ag-related businesses throughout the county.
The Chamber says the campaign also aims to strengthen community pride, educate the public about where food comes from, and promote Sioux County’s role in the global agriculture industry.
Ag Committee’s Role
Den Herder credits the Chamber’s Ag Committee for helping shape the campaign and ensuring it reflected the realities of the local ag economy.
She says committee members helped identify topics, producers, and industries to feature while also providing insight into what stories would connect most with the community.
The Chamber also highlighted the work of video host Jeff Rens, who appears throughout the campaign’s content and helps bring an engaging, conversational tone to the videos.
Looking Ahead
Den Herder says the Chamber plans to continue expanding Sioux Grown moving forward, to release one new video each month focused on different aspects of agriculture in Sioux County.
