Staff Update

Since January 16th, my first day as the CEO of the Michigan Soybean Committee and Michigan Soybean Association, it has been a bit of a whirlwind as you can probably imagine. As farmers know, this time of year the is filled with many educational and networking events in the agriculture industry. This is also very true for the MSC and MSA staff and board of directors. It was definitely eye-opening to see the list of events and travel planned for my first few months. In addition to the usual events that many farmers attend, this time of year MSC subcommittee members are identifying the best ways to bring value to farmers across the state by evaluating projects and proposals to fund with soybean checkoff dollars.

My first week on the job included a market development meeting quarterbacked by our demand specialist, Hanna Campbell. During this meeting the market development subcommittee, made up of farmers from across the state, heard proposals from 28 different organizations. Each organization presented unique opportunities that could bring value to Michigan soybean farmers via partnerships that would increase demand, assist in transporting Michigan soybeans to different parts of the world and develop new soybean markets and uses. After much discussion, the subcommittee decided to fund 17 projects they felt would benefit soybean farmers the most. The decision-makers in the process were the farmers appointed to the subcommittee and they did not take their responsibility lightly. They know it's important to make sure their checkoff dollars provide a return on investment to Michigan soybean farmers.

The next day I joined MSC research director, Mark Seamon and the production subcommittee to review production research proposals from 23 researchers and educators. This was another busy day as we saw a non-stop rotation of impressive proposals that could positively impact operations throughout the state. It was exciting to get updates from researchers on current MSC-funded projects and learn about new opportunities to help farmers become more profitable. This subcommittee of farmers is obviously very passionate about the research being done in the state, as the results and knowledge garnered from these projects directly impacts many of the practices they implement on their own farms. It was refreshing to see the great conversations that happened between the researchers and farmers in the room, as both provided insight to each other to find ways to directly translate the research projects into practical on-farm applications. Through their evaluation process, the subcommittee was able to move forward with funding the proposals they felt would be most beneficial for soybean growers.

Since January 16th I have gotten many congratulatory messages. One follow-up question I get a lot is, “What do you guys do at Michigan Soybean?”. Although there is much more that goes into what we do, hopefully the two examples above (that I experienced in just my first week) serve as helpful illustrations of how soybean checkoff dollars are spent to bring value and a return on investment to Michigan soybean farmers. The staff facilitates meetings and brings new ideas to the table, but at the end of the day MSC and MSA are farmer-driven organizations. The more engaged and active farmers that we have involved with the organization, the better we can serve the soybean farmers in our state. If you are on the fence about whether or not to get involved, I encourage you to reach out to me, other staff members or one of our board members to discuss the possibility.

While I am truly excited to have the opportunity to serve as the CEO of the Michigan Soybean Committee and Michigan Soybean Association, I also feel a great deal of responsibility to provide value to the soybean farmers in the state. Being raised on a corn and soybean farm in northwest Ohio and marrying into a farming family in Monroe County enhances the obligation I feel to deliver results to you all - the hard-working farmers and your families. I know the rest of the team feels that same responsibility and I’m excited to work alongside of them and our board members to bring that ROI to Michigan soybean farmers.

Ben Steyer, Chief Executive Officer bsteyer@michigansoybean.org