The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the appointment of seventeen members and one alternate to serve on the United Soybean Board. Sixteen members and one alternate member will serve three-year terms beginning December 2024. One member will serve a two-year term and start immediately.
Newly appointed members are:
- Arkansas – Robert Petter, DeValls Bluff
- Georgia – Jesse Patrick, Madison
- Illinois – Steve Pitstick, Maple Park
- Indiana – Jim Douglas, Flat Rock
- Iowa – Suzanne H. Shirbroun, Farmersburg
- Kentucky – Brent Gatton, Sacramento
Keith N. Tapp, Sebree (2-year term) - Louisiana – Garrett Marsh, Tallulah
- Minnesota – Patrick O’Leary, Benson
- Missouri – Robert Alpers, Prairie Home
- Nebraska – Gregg Fujan, Weston
- North Carolina – Benjamin Derek Potter, Grantsboro
- North Dakota – Cindy Pulskamp, Hillsboro
- Ohio – Jeff Magyar, Orwell
- Pennsylvania – Justin Jones, Wyalusing
- South Dakota – Tim Ostrem, Centerville
- Virginia – Shannon Tignor Ellis, Champlain
Newly appointed alternate is:
- Georgia – Mark Ariail, Carnesville
The board is authorized by the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Information Act and is composed of seventy-seven members representing twenty-nine states and two regions -- Eastern and Western. Members must be soybean producers nominated by a qualified state soybean board. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) United Soybean Board webpage and on the board’s webpage at unitedsoybean.org.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of twenty-two boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
AMS policy is that diversity of the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of their industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors, including but not limited to individuals from historically underserved communities, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach, paying particular attention to reaching underserved communities, and consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender