The Indiana Soybean Board and Indiana Soybean Growers Association made the historic announcement recently that they were combining into one group. More than 18 months in the making, the merger culminated in a new group called the Indiana Soybean Alliance.
Now comes the search for directors for this new board of directors. Nominees are in place, but any soybean farmer can vote. Elections will be held the week of Nov. 27 through Dec. 1. Vote in the Purdue Extension county office where you physically live. If you can't vote in person that week, you can obtain an absentee ballot from the same office anytime from now through Dec. 1.
There are four voting districts in the new organization. If you're a soybean farmer, you can vote for two candidates in your district. There are 13 farmers vying for positions on the new Board of Directors.
They include, in District 1, Michael A. Beard, Frankfort; Lynn Teel, Chalmers; and Kevin Wilson, Walton. Teel formerly chaired the Indiana Soybean Growers Association.
Counties in district 1 for voting purposes for the Indiana Soybean Alliance Board of Directors include: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Kosciusko, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Startke, Tipton, Wabash and White.
The lone candidate in District 2 is Jeffery P. Jordan, Richmond. He is a partner with his family in Jordan Farms, farming 2,000 acres and producing 18,000 hogs in a farrow-to-finish operation.
Counties in district 2 make up the northeast quadrant of Indiana.
Four candidates would like to represent District 3 on the Board of Directors. They include: Martin L. Evans, Terre Haute; Steven Gerrish, Crawfordsville, Alan Kemper, Lafayette and Michael J. Thomas, Evansville. Kemper is currently vice-president of the American Soybean Growers and former National President of the American Corn Growers Association. All candidates are farmers in various family farm operations.
District 3 Counties include: Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Montgoemry, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Spencer, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren and Warrick.
Five candidates would like to represent District 5. They include Trevor V. Glick, Columbus, partner in L & M Glick Seeds; Michael W. Marshall, Connersville; Mark Nigh, Shelbyville; B. Joan Truax, Pittsboro; and Terry Vissing, Marysville.
Counties in District 4 are: Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union and Washington.
Learn more about candidates and the election process at
www.indianasoybean.com.