Bill Ritchie, of Hillsboro, Ohio, will be grilling in style this Labor Day weekend as the winner of the Ohio Soybean Council’s “Get Grilling, Ohio” Ultimate Backyard BBQ sweepstakes, with a prize package worth more than $2,500 in high-quality meat and grilling accessories.

The sweepstakes, which ran from Independence Day weekend through Aug. 29, accumulated 1,154 entries from which Ritchie was drawn at random as the grand prize winner.

Ritchie said he signed up for the Get Grilling, Ohio sweepstakes through the Digital Dale farm report he gets every morning in his inbox, but it had been so long since he signed up, he had forgotten about the contest.

“The timing is great with Labor Day weekend coming up, so I’m going to call all of my friends and invite them over for the Ultimate Backyard BBQ,” said Ritchie. “It looks like it’s going to be a great cookout thanks to the Ohio Soybean Council and all of the other donors. I am very thankful to them for putting together this giveaway.”

OSC Board Member Gretchen Mossbarger delivered the Ultimate Backyard BBQ prize package to Ritchie at his home on Thursday, which included all items needed to host a backyard BBQ for up to 25 people. The prize package included:

● Weber 4-Burner gas grill

● Coleman 100 qt. Xtreme Wheeled Cooler

● $500 Kroger gift card

● Various cuts of beef, pork, poultry and lamb

● Sauces and seasonings

● Grilling utensils, cookbooks, tips and tricks, and more

Prize items and meat for the sweepstakes were donated by Ohio Soybean Council, Luckey Farmers, Inc., Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, Ohio Pork Council, Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Sheep and Wool Program, and Woeber’s Mustard Company.

The Get Grilling, Ohio campaign is just one way the Ohio Soybean Council is committed to promoting Ohio agriculture, and was funded by Ohio Soybean Farmers and their checkoff.

“As a primary source of protein for livestock in Ohio, including cattle, swine, sheep and poultry, soybeans and soybean farmers are an important step of the process in getting meat from the farm to the store to the grill,” said Adam Ward, OSC director of marketing and outreach. “The Ohio Soybean Council is invested in helping produce healthy, great-tasting meat for grilling.”

The Get Grilling, Ohio social pages (Facebook group and Pinterest) will stay active post-sweepstakes to serve as forums for grilling enthusiasts to share recipes, tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration related to grilling with one another.