BLOOMINGTON, ILL – December 9, 2021 – At the United Soybean Board (USB) meeting December 7-9 in St. Charles, Missouri, representatives of the national soy checkoff elected 11 farmer-leaders to serve on the Executive Committee, including Illinois farmer, Gary Berg of St. Elmo, currently serving his second USB board term.
“I’m incredibly honored to have been selected by my farm colleagues for this challenging role,” says Berg. “I have much learning and listening to do, but I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work for Illinois.”
According to a statement issued by USB, 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.
Adds Berg, “The soybean checkoff is setting the stage for growers across the nation to deliver high-quality product to the world. The most profitable investment is the one we’re making in ourselves.”
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development and utilization efforts while the membership program supports the government relations interests of Illinois soybean farmers at the local, state, and national level, through the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG). ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean producers through promotion, advocacy, and education with the vision of becoming a market leader in sustainable soybean production and profitability. For more information, visit the website www.ilsoy.org and www.ilsoygrowers.com.
###
