Leeds: Closing the book, But Opening Doors
Chief Executive Officer, Iowa Soybean Association
As we get ready to close the book on another year it is also time to draw to an end our year-long celebration of the Iowa Soybean Association’s 45th anniversary. In December 1964 a small group of soybean farmers got together in Des Moines to talk about the need to form an organization in Iowa to promote soybeans. They also wanted to organize efforts to garner legislative support for a checkoff program so that they would have the resources needed to accomplish their goals.
Earlier this month, we culminated our anniversary celebration by hosting an open house in our new office building in Ankeny. This new 30,000 square foot building, the result of years of growth and years of success in serving Iowa’s soybean farmers, will be a terrific home for your organization for many, many years to come. I am confident that our 1964 founders would be proud. I invite you to stop in to see our new facility and I will give you a personal tour.
But more importantly, I invite you to become more engaged with your soybean organization. As we close the book on a record U.S. soybean harvest of 3.3 billion bushels we recognize that we still have much work to do to promote soybean consumption in the U.S. and to increase exports around the world.
From our nationally recognized environmental programs to our industry leading on farm research efforts, ISA wants you to engage with us. From our efforts to expand the market for biodiesel to our efforts to increase exports to China, ISA wants you to engage with us. From our efforts to deliver information on soybean markets and soybean policies to our efforts to increase funding for soybean research, ISA wants you to engage with us. And from our efforts to increase consumption of soy foods to our efforts to support Iowa’s livestock industry, ISA wants you to engage with us.
As part of our new approach to membership we invite you to engage with “your ISA, your way.” And after 45 years, we no longer require soybean farmers to have to pay dues to be a member. If you pay the soybean checkoff, there is no additional cost to be a member. All you have to do is give us a call at 800/383-1423 or log on our web site at www.iasoybeans.com and ask to be added to our fast growing membership roster. That is all it takes to open the door to a host of new opportunities and services.
Best wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Kirk Leeds
