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Hello, I'm Ron Kindred
Hello, please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ron Kindred, the newly-elected Chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association Board of Directors. It is my privilege to represent Illinois soybean farmers, and the #1 soybean producing state in the United States. I farm 1600 acres of soybeans and corn with my wife, Jayne and son, Jay in Atlanta, Illinois. I started my journey with the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) in 1999 and have seen many changes to the organization over the years, including our rise as a state and national leader in the soybean industry.
John Lumpe, ISA CEO, has the philosophy of always looking forward. He believes more can be accomplished when you are constantly looking to the future of the organization. The ISA Board of Directors believes in this approach which has allowed us to achieve many of our goals. We are very proud of our work and always look to make checkoff and non-checkoff investments that create measurable differences for Illinois soybean farmers.
We have some exciting checkoff-funded projects for the coming fiscal year that I would like to highlight. We are launching a Soy Innovation Center to explore the industry for new uses for our soybeans. Our goal with this endeavor is to develop soy-based products that industry will want to invest in and manufacture in Illinois. We love the idea of more industry in Illinois and the economic impact that would create, not to mention the increased demand for our soybeans. Our Market Development team will also be working to increase domestic and international markets for Illinois soybeans.
Another project in the works is a unique opportunity to work closely with National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on conservation in Illinois. We have expanded our Soybean Production department over the last two years with employees that are very well respected in their field. We applied for and received a grant to assist NRCS for two years in the field and in educating soybean farmers on the many benefits of employing conservation practices on their farms. There is increasing pressure to keep nutrients in our fields, and conservation can play a big role in accomplishing that goal. Our ISA agronomists will help you any way they can.
The Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG) also has non-checkoff dollars to invest, and our Government Relations team is doing a great job with that. Last year we passed a biodiesel tax credit in Illinois that ramps up the biodiesel blend to B20 by 2026. We also assisted the airline industry by passing a $1.50/ gallon tax incentive in Illinois on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a potential 550-million-gallon industry. Soybean oil can be used as a feedstock to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel, another potentially huge market going forward. We are growing our Illinois Soybean Growers Political Action Committee (ISGPAC) to help us make more of an impact in Illinois and Washington D.C. We look forward to more legislative victories this year. We also see opportunities to work with our nearby state soybean organizations on many issues impacting our industry.
This issue is dedicated to the Farm Progress Show. We hope you stop by our tent that we are sharing with IL Corn. As you enter the show, notice the Varied Industries Tent is coated with a soy-based asphalt, compliments of ISA. We look forward to seeing you there and remember, ISA is always looking forward!
