With a mission of representing the voice of U.S. soybean farmers through advocacy and policy, the new U.S. Soybean Federation (USSF) was announced by founding farmer-leaders last month.
“We need an organization like USSF that will have no other focus than to fairly, vigorously and effectively represent the voice of all U.S. soybean farmers in the federal legislative process,” says newly elected USSF President Lance Peterson, a soybean farmer from Underwood, MN.
Peterson also pointed out that actions by the American Soybean Association (ASA) have triggered the need for this new organization. (At ASA's request, USDA has asked the Office of Inspector General to conduct an audit of the United Soybean Board.)
USSF stands in support of the current national soybean checkoff and the farmer-leaders appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to oversee checkoff investments.
Existing state soybean associations or new state soybean federations will primarily comprise USSF, which will not serve as a member organization. USSF will instead be a coordinating entity to ensure a focused representation of U.S. soybean farmers on Capitol Hill. The organization's offices will be eventually located in Washington, D.C., and the board of directors plans to contract with a farm lobbyist to serve as the CEO.
The founding organizations are the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and the Missouri Soybean Association. Officers are: President Lance Peterson; Vice President Warren Stemme, a soybean farmer from Chesterfield, MO; and Secretary/Treasurer Jerry Slocum, a soybean farmer from Coldwater, MS.
For more information contact: Kiersten Schroeder, kierstenschroeder@hotmail.com; 314-378-2111.