Four Hoosier soybean farmers will join the Indiana Soybean Alliance board of directors in December 2013 to help direct checkoff programs that drive the success of the soybean industry within the state. In addition to these new directors, four other soybean farmers were re-elected to serve another term on the board during ISA’s annual elections in August. “With the ever growing challenges and changes soybean farmers face each year, the work we do is important to ensure that the markets for our state’s soybeans continue to grow,” said Jane Ade Stevens, ISA chief executive officer. “It’s vital for the success of Indiana’s soybean industry that we have involved farmers on the board to direct how farmer’s soybean checkoff dollars are used.”
Each year, ISA conducts an election to place farmer-leaders on its board of directors representing each of the state’s four districts.
In District 1, Jeanette Merritt of Peru and Kevin Wilson of Walton will continue to serve on the board for another term. District 1 includes Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Lake, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Tipton, Wabash and White counties.
In District 2, Elaine Gillis of Dunkirk and Matthew Chapman of Springport were newly elected to serve on the board. District 2 includes Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Huntington, Jay, LaGrange, Madison, Noble, Randolph, Steuben, Wayne, Wells and Whitley counties.
In District 3, Craig Williams of Oaktown was elected to serve on the board and Levi Huffman from Lafayette was re-elected to serve another term. District 3 includes Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Montgomery, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Spencer, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren and Warrick counties.
In District 4, Chris Cherry of New Palestine will join the board and Mark Nigh of Shelbyville will continue on the board for another term. District 4 includes Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union and Washington counties.
ISA works on behalf of nearly 28,000 soybean farmers in Indiana who contribute to the soybean checkoff. The ISA Board of Directors is responsible for the investment of those checkoff funds.
The recently elected farmer directors will begin serving on the ISA board of directors in December 2013 and will serve a three-year term. Once elected to the Board, a director may also choose to represent the dues-paying members of the Alliance. Directors who choose to represent ISA’s dues-paying members will develop and promote public policies that benefit the interests of Indiana’s soybean farmers – both in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.
Since federal law prohibits the ISA from using soybean checkoff funds to support policy activities, financial support for membership and policy activities comes from member dues and other contributions. An elected director’s service on behalf of dues-paying ISA members is strictly voluntary.