The United Soybean Board (USB) held its winter meetings in St. Louis last week, electing Lewis Bainbridge of Ethan, South Dakota, to lead the national soy checkoff in 2018. Bainbridge, a third-generation farmer, previously served the board as USB vice chair. The soy checkoff, which works to maximize profit opportunities for U.S. soybean farmers through national investments, continues focusing on the areas of meal, oil and sustainability to increase farmer profit opportunities.
“We are very good at growing soybeans in the United States,” says Mr. Bainbridge. “Now, we need to focus on maximizing value of this crop.”
Knowing that volume alone is no longer enough to maintain market share is helping shape Mr. Bainbridge’s vision for the coming year.
“In my time as chair, I want to continue the progress we have made in the past few years in differentiating our product and strengthening our competitiveness in the global marketplace, as well as building relationships with end users of U.S. Soy," says Mr. Bainbridge.
Along with Mr. Bainbridge, USB elected nine directors to the USB Executive Committee:

The farmers also selected members to serve on the Strategic Management Committee. Those farmers include Jacob Parker, North Carolina; Ray Schexnayder, Louisiana; and USSEC director Doug Winter, Illinois.
USB’s 73 farmer-directors work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their soy checkoff investments.
USSEC congratulates the new USB officers and looks forward to continuing its work with USB to create preference and demand for U.S. Soy.