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URBANDALE,
Iowa - Two Iowa soybean farmer-leaders were recognized for their efforts this week by being named to national positions on the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the United Soybean Board (USB) executive committees. Ray Gaesser of Corning was elected to serve as a vice president of the American Soybean Association, and Jim Stillman of Emmetsburg was elected to serve on the USB executive board.
“Iowa is very fortunate to have these two soybean farmer leaders serving on the executive committees of both our national organizations,” commented John Heisdorffer, Keota soybean grower and Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) president. “They will keep Iowa soybean producers connected closely to these organizations.”
Ray Gaesser, who is in the second year of his first three-year term on the ASA board, was elected to serve as a vice president of that organization. ASA is the membership organization representing the policy needs of soybean growers in Washington, D.C. Gaesser is a member of the ASA Public Affairs Committee, the Finance Committee and the Audit Committee, serving as chair of the Audit Committee. He is also an ISA director and was the state president in 2006-2007.
“As a past president of ISA, Ray knows the needs of Iowa farmers from a policy standpoint,” Heisdorffer said. “He is well respected on both state and national levels.”
Stillman was nominated by ISA directors and recently reappointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to his second three-year term on the USB board, the national organization representing the soybean checkoff. In addition to serving on the USB executive board, he will begin his second year as chairman of the Audit and Evaluation Committee and will again serve on the Domestic Marketing Committee, both of which he has been a member for the past three years. Stillman also continues to serve on the Soy Nutrition Institute (SNI) board and the Qualisoy board, organizations which include both industry and USB representatives.
“Jim Stillman has a great background on many issues on the checkoff side,” added Heisdorffer. “As a member of the USB executive committee, he will be an excellent representative for our state’s soybean farmers.”
Additionally, Iowa is represented by John Hoffman, who was the president of ASA in 2008 and will serve as chairman of the board in 2009. John is a soybean farmer from Waterloo.
The Iowa Soybean Association
develops policies and programs that help farmers expand profit opportunities
while promoting environmentally sensitive production using the soybean
checkoff and other resources. The Association is governed by an elected
volunteer board of 21 farmers.
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