Leadership from the Illinois Soybean Association is representing the Illinois soy family at Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida this week, attending meetings, touring trade show exhibits, and visiting with members of ag media. During their annual meeting, which is held in conjunction with Commodity Classic, the U.S. Soybean Export Council elected ASA Board Director and Illinois farmer leader, Stan Born of Lovington, Illinois as Chairman for the upcoming 12-month term.

Young farmers are our future, and no state’s future in agriculture is brighter than that of Illinois. We’re excited to discover the 2023 class of Illinois 20 Under 40 Farmers; we know there’s no shortage of outstanding young farmers in Illinois, but we need your help identifying them. Nominate someone, or yourself, to be an Illinois 20 Under 40 Farmer by Friday, March 31.

Let’s go, Illini Nation! The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is partnering with the University of Illinois during their fall and winter sports lineup to share the “Good To Be Soy” story with more than 15 million consumers. ISA is sponsoring tonight’s Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats basketball game - be sure to tune in to see some familiar faces and some soy messaging.

The Super Bowl is known for its great commercials, but this year’s big game included a much more personal 30-second spot, highlighting the fact that 96% of Illinois farms are owned and operated by local families. Illinois Farm Families is declaring 2023 as the Year of the Farmer to show consumers exactly who’s producing their food. To learn more, check out the behind the scenes of the “We are the 96” Super Bowl commercial.

The annual Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG) meeting took place this week at the Illinois Soybean Association's Bloomington office. This meeting complimented the first full board meeting held at the newly-renovated office and included the ISGPAC fundraiser, with special guest, Rob Sharkey. Following the PAC event, an open house was held to showcase the finished office building and gave ISA staff an opportunity to thank both ISA and ISG partners.

The ISA Market Development staff attended the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta, Georgia last week. This was a great opportunity to connect with leading staff in the poultry, meat, livestock, and commodity spaces and explore how soy can make an impact.