35 years of farmers investing together

How founding leaders built a checkoff that spans generations 

The drought of 1988 hit every state in the country. For soybean farmers, it exposed a gap that couldn’t be ignored. 

“The checkoff in my mind was born out of that drought,” recalls Jerry Slocum, a fifth-generation Mississippi farmer who would become a founding director of the United Soybean Board (USB). At the time, the American Soybean Association (ASA) funded international marketing through voluntary dollars from about 20 states—but the money ran out. Programs were cut. 

“There was this great need for more and more dollars,” Slocum says. 

In March 1989, ASA delegates voted overwhelmingly to pursue a national checkoff. Two years of legislative work followed, led by Congressman Dan Glickman of Kansas. “It was a herculean task,” Slocum says. “And by mid-1991, it was in place.” 

The change was immediate: all soybean producers now invested at the same rate, unlocking funding for international and domestic marketing and new uses research. “We started with a $17 million budget,” Slocum recalls. “Nobody dreamed it could become what it is today.” 

Thirty-five years later, the checkoff has grown to nearly $200 million in annual investments, generating an estimated $12.30 return for every checkoff dollar.  “I’m incredibly proud that the board has kept its vision focused on the betterment of the U.S. soybean farmer,” Slocum says. “When we better the farmer, we better the entire industry.” 

The next generation steps up
David Durham, a Missouri farmer, served as USB chair in 2004–05. Today, his son Kyle serves as a USB director. “A lot of the focus of projects nowadays are not geared toward a specific end product,” Kyle explains. “It’s about building those basic building blocks for researchers across the soybean industry—so that the next brand-new discovery in soybean genetics doesn’t have to be thought of by 77 farmers in a boardroom. It’s 77 farmers setting the direction for a thousand researchers across the country.” 

Joey Boudreaux farms alongside his father Ike in Louisiana—where Ike once served as a USB director and Joey now serves on the board. Joey helped establish the newly created export work group. “We realized we weren’t spending enough time on our export projects,” he says. “We wanted more oversight and more influence on where those dollars were being spent. We felt like we needed to devote an entire work group just to exports so that farmers would have more of a say.” 

Both grew up watching their fathers serve. “I remember Dad being gone a lot,” Joey recalls. “I was doing chores and working through a list of things that had to get done because he wasn’t there. It built character, and it taught me what giving back to this industry looks like.” 

For Kyle, the checkoff was woven into childhood. “I joke that all our family vacations were to Soy Expo,” he says. “You knew Dad was devoting time to promoting soybeans. I didn’t fully understand what that meant until I got involved myself.” 

What’s changed and what hasn’t
Founding directors recall early board meetings filled with passionate debate, particularly between advocates for international markets and those pushing new domestic uses. 

“We fought hard for dollars,” Slocum says. “But at the end of the day, we came together with a budget and worked as a team.” 

That unity remains. What has changed is the board’s approach. “In the beginning, we were very project-focused and tactical,” Slocum explains. “Today, with much larger and more diverse budgets, the board operates as true strategists.” 

Ike Boudreaux, who served during the creation of the U.S. Soybean Export Council, puts it simply: “There’s an old saying: the more things change, the more they stay the same. The core values haven’t changed: honesty, integrity, and working together. The board always gets it right. Sometimes not immediately, but in time.” 

Building for the next 35 years
In a year of tight margins and trade uncertainty, every dollar matters. The next generation of checkoff leaders understand that pressure; they’re living it on their own farms. 

“We can’t let off the gas,” Kyle Durham says. “We’re selling into markets like South Korea and building long-term partnerships. We have to keep pushing forward.” 

Joey Boudreaux sees growing demand as the industry’s next challenge. “We can produce soybeans,” he says. “Now we need to create new demand, especially in aquaculture in Central America, Asia, and Southeast Asia. And India’s population is growing fast. I don’t think they’ll be able to produce enough soybeans to meet their own needs.” 

For Jerry Slocum, watching the next generation step up is the greatest validation of what the founding directors built. “The quality of leadership never ceases to amaze me,” he says. “The passion hasn’t diminished.” 

His advice to young farmers considering board service: “Find something you’re passionate about. Put your heart and soul into it. It’s work but it can be a wonderful experience. Mine certainly has been.” 

Thirty-five years of that commitment has built real momentum for the Soy Checkoff—and today’s leadership is ready to carry it forward. 

“What strikes me most about this organization is the thread that connects us—from Jerry Slocum and those founding directors to the sons and daughters serving today. They got it right. They built something that lasts,” said new USB Chair Brent Gatton. “Our responsibility now is to honor that work by pushing even harder for the next generation of soybean farmers.”