David Iverson, a farmer from Astoria, SD and a graduate of SDARL Class III, has been re-elected Secretary of the United Soybean Board.
The election was held at the board’s annual meeting December 9-10. In addition to David’s selection as Secretary, Dan Farney, a farmer from from Morton, Illinois, was elected 2021 USB Chair and 10 other farmer-leaders were chosen to serve on the USB Executive Committee. USB leadership, with oversight from USDA, guides the activity of the national soy checkoff in accordance with the strategy outlined by the 78-member board.
Key successes for 2020 that were discussed at the USB annual meeting included checkoff-funded research, planning, analysis and design to inform the dredging of the lower Mississippi River and opening new export channels for U.S. soybeans. Demand was driven domestically as well, with large companies such as Skechers and Goodyear committing to using more U.S. soybean oil than ever in their products. And companies creating new products in infrastructure, including soy-based asphalt and a soy oil-based concrete enhancer, took key steps forward to reach widespread adoption and use on roadways and bridges.