New Farmer-Leaders Appointed to the United Soybean Board

The U.S. Department of Agriculture appoints four U.S. soybean farmers to serve on the
United Soybean Board and reappoints 15 directors for an additional term.

ST. LOUIS (Nov. 7, 2023) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of four new farmer-leaders to serve on the United Soybean Board (USB). In addition, 15 farmer-leaders were reappointed. In total, 22 leaders and alternates will serve three-year terms and one alternate will serve a two-year term. These USB Directors from 18 states will be sworn in for service during the USB December Meeting in St. Charles, Mo.

“Each of these farmer-leaders will have a significant impact on the soy checkoff’s ability to build demand, enhance reputation and increase the resilience of our U.S. soybean crop,” said Meagan Kaiser, USB Chair and farmer from Missouri. “I’m proud of our farmer-led board that volunteers their time to look ahead and think big picture to ensure U.S. Soy remains a leader in forging partnerships to deliver sustainable solutions to every life, every day.”

The soy checkoff provides value to farmers through investments that build preference for U.S. soybeans across the country and throughout the world. Authorized by the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the checkoff is composed of 77 members representing 29 states, in addition to the Eastern and Western regions. The number of seats on the board and farmer representation is based on bushels produced in each of the production regions. Members must be soybean farmers nominated by a Qualified State Soybean Board.

“Our board of directors grow and raise more than 30 different commodities, but U.S. Soy is the common denominator that brings us all together,” said Steve Reinhard, USB Vice Chair and Ohio farmer. “We have an impressive roster of new and returning board members, and collectively we can make meaningful inroads that bring value to our half-million U.S. soybean farmers’ bottom line.”

The newly appointed farmer-leaders include:

• Kansas – Charles W. Atkinson, Great Bend
• Maryland — Mary Archer Stewart, Pylesville
• Missouri – Kyle Durham, Norborne
• Tennessee – Eric Maupin, Newbern

The reappointed farmer-leaders include:

• Alabama – Sam Butler, New Hope
• Arkansas – AJ Hood, Star City
• Illinois – Gary Berg, Saint Elmo
• Indiana – Thomas Glen Griffiths, Kendallville
• Iowa – Timothy Bardole, Rippey
• Iowa – Brent Renner, Klemme
• Kentucky – Ryan Dale Bivens, Hodgenville
• Michigan – Laurie Isley, Palmyra
• Minnesota – Lawrence E. Sukalski, Fairmont
• Mississippi – Philip Good, Macon
• Nebraska – Greg Greving, Chapman
• Ohio – Dave Dotterer, Rittman
• South Carolina – Fitzhugh Bethea, Dillon
• South Dakota – Todd J. Hanten, Goodwin
• Texas – Andrew W. Scott, Jr., Weslaco

The newly appointed alternates include:

• Alabama – David Wilson, Lincoln
• New Jersey – Murn Myers, Delanco (2-Year Term)
• Texas – Sam Sparks III, Harlingen

The reappointed alternate includes:

• South Carolina – Charlie Whiten, Westminster

To see USDA’s Notice of Trade about appointments, click here. To learn more about key investments made on behalf of U.S. soybean farmers, visit unitedsoybean.org/hopper.

About United Soybean Board: United Soybean Board’s 77 volunteer farmer-leaders work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their soy checkoff investments. These volunteers create value by investing in research, education and promotion with the vision to deliver sustainable soy solutions to every life, every day across the three priority areas of Infrastructure & Connectivity, Health & Nutrition, and Innovation & Technology. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff. For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit unitedsoybean.org.

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Contact:

Paul Murphy-Spooner at United Soybean Board, 515.975.6584
Melina Bland at VMLY&R