Farmer-leaders of the soy checkoff elected Ralph Lott from Seneca Falls, NY, as 2022 Chair and 10 other farmer-leaders to serve on the executive committee at the United Soybean Board (USB) meeting Dec. 7-9 in St. Charles, MO.
“With a productive growing season, favorable soybean prices and increased demand in 2021, amid supply chain constraints, this is an exciting and pivotal time for U.S. Soy, both domestically and internationally," says Lott.
"I appreciate the support of my fellow board members, and I am eager to work with them to identify initiatives that grow our markets and bring value back to the farm."
The newly elected USB Executive Committee includes:
- Ralph Lott, Chair — New York
- Meagan Kaiser, Vice Chair — Missouri
- Ed Lammers, Secretary — Nebraska
- Steve Reinhard, Treasurer — Ohio
- Tom Oswald — Iowa
- Belinda Burrier — Maryland
- Philip Good — Mississippi
- Kevin Wilson — Indiana
- Gary Berg — Illinois
- Matt Gast — North Dakota
- Dan Farney, Past Chair (Ex Officio) — Illinois
Key successes from 2021 include U.S. soybeans being used as an ingredient in more than 1,000 different products; notably Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a new sustainable soybean oil procurement policy increasing market potential for soybeans.
In addition, a checkoff-funded rural broadband report led to 15 recommendations for delivering high-speed internet needed by farmers and rural communities. One hundred million metric tons of U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol verified soy shipped internationally, and domestically, the USDA Dietary Guidelines highlighted the inclusion of soy products across the dairy, oils, vegetables and protein categories.
This is on top of record export volume for the 2020/21 marketing year, as a result of strategic efforts to diversify international markets.
“Generations of U.S. soybean farmers will benefit from this progress and investment decisions made by the checkoff’s volunteer farmer-leaders,” says Polly Ruhland, USB CEO.
“The foresight of this board is reflected in their collective efforts to continue mapping a production and delivery path for sustainable U.S. soybeans globally on behalf of over 515,000 U.S. soybean farmers.”
The mission of the soy checkoff is to create value for U.S. soybean farmers by investing in research, education and promotion of U.S. soybeans. Research and promotion projects are implemented by USB with oversight from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.
Since 1991, when the soy checkoff began working on behalf of U.S. soybean farmers, it’s provided significant return on investment by leveraging partnerships that increase the value and preference for U.S. soybeans. The latest mandatory five-year independent economic evaluation, conducted in 2019, found that U.S. soybean farmers received an estimated $12.34 in added value for every dollar they invested in the checkoff.
