CEO'S MESSAGE CHAIRMAN Steve Pitstick, Maple Park District 2 VICE CHAIRMAN Ron Kindred, Atlanta District 9 SECRETARY Elliott Uphoff, Shelbyville District 10 TREASURER Dwayne Anderson, Lynn Center District 3 ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER David Wessel, Chandlerville At-Large Director GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR Brad Daugherty, West Union District 14 MARKET DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR Scott Gaffner, Greenville At-Large Director UTILIZATION COMMITTEE CHAIR James Martin, Pontiac District 6 DIRECTORS Ryan Frieders, Waterman | District 1 Buck Hill, Grand Ridge | District 4 Mark Read, Putnam | District 5 Bryan Severs, Potomac | District 7 David Niekamp, Coatsburg | District 8 Matt Murray, Paxton | District 11 Brock Willard, Pittsfield | District 12 Ed Murphy, Farmersville | District 13 Jeff Parker, Belleville | District 15 Brian Atteberry, Carmi | District 16 Nick Harre, Nashville | District 17 Rick Rubenacker, McLeansboro | District 18 AT-LARGE DIRECTORS Betsey Emerick, Vandalia Brady Holst, Plymouth Jeff O'Connor, Kankakee Tim Scates, Carmi UNITED SOYBEAN BOARD (USB) Gary Berg, St. Elmo Dan Farney, Morton Lynn Rohrscheib, Fairmount Doug Winter, Mill Shoals AMERICAN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION (ASA) Stan Born, Mahomet Daryl Cates, Columbia, ASA Vice President Jered Hooker, Clinton Ron Moore, Roseville Bill Raben, Ridgway Rob Shaffer, El Paso Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare, Nebo Bill Wykes, Yorkville STAFF CREDITS Editor | Rachel Peabody, Illinois Soybean Association Assistant Editor | Betsy Osman, Illinois Soybean Association Staff Writer | Claire Weinzierl, Illinois Soybean Association Staff Writer & Advertising Coordinator | Jill Parrent, Illinois Soybean Association Staff Writer | Brynna Sentel, Illinois Soybean Association Staff Writer & Photographer | Stephen Sostaric, Illinois Soybean Association Digital Edition & Circulation Manager | Heather Atkinson, Illinois Soybean Association OTHER ISA STAFF Chief Executive Officer | John Lumpe Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer | Brian Hansen Senior Director of Government Affairs | Mike Levin Director of Ag Innovation | Linda Kull Director of Operations | Dustin Scott Director of Market Development | Andrew Larson Director of Agronomy | Abigail Peterson The Illinois Soybean Growers is owner of Illinois Field & Bean, a publication for Illinois soybean farmers, designed and written to provide timely and useful industry information. Illinois Field & Bean is published by the Illinois Soybean Association, 1605 Commerce Parkway, Bloomington, IL 61704. For address corrections, contact Illinois Field & Bean at 1605 Commerce Parkway, Bloomington, IL 61704. Phone 309-663-7692. Web address: www.ilsoy.org. Email: [email protected]. Comments and statewide news articles should be sent to the above address. Advertising space reservations must be made by the first of the month preceding publication. In consideration of the acceptance of advertisement, the agency and the advertiser must, in respect of the contents of the advertisement, indemnify and save the publisher harmless against any expense arising from claims or actions against the publisher because of the publication of the content of the advertisement. FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION Rachel Peabody Director of Communications Phone: (217) 825-7654 Email: [email protected] 4 February 2022 We Never Stop Learning JOHN LUMPE | CEO | ILLINOIS SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION Recently talking to our Illinois Soybean Association Board Chairman Steve Pitstick, he reminded me of some wisdom found in Howard Buffett’s book “Forty Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World.” Mr. Buffett’s book is built on the premise that everybody has approximately 40 chances to accomplish their life goals. Put in the perspective of farming, a farmer could look at it as having 40 chances, or growing seasons, to make the most impact on their acres. While 40 chances might seem like a lot to some, others like myself realize just how fast those years can go. It’s easy to get into the familiar routine with life and work. We are so entrenched in the weeds and the details of everyday to-dos that we forget to take that 40,000-foot view to ask ourselves what we want most, how we’re going to achieve it, and if we have everything we need to accomplish our goals. What if we could look at every decision we are going to make this season from that higher level? I’d be willing to bet we would find more time for learning and taking advantage of opportunities that serve our growth and progress. We’re all in the cycle of learning new things whether you’re gearing up for your fifth planting season or your 30th. I’d encourage all of you to think about those 40 chances as it applies to your operation. What impacts will you make next on your farm? I hope Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and our wealth of educational offerings can assist you with that endeavor. I invite you to try on a new mindset this year, pick up a new skill or adopt a new prac- tice. You’re in luck because the 2022 Soybean Summit was a great place to do that. This issue is chock full of insights from this year’s incredible lineup of speakers. Watch our ILSoyAdvisor.com platform in the coming weeks as we recap Summit’s great information. At your state soybean checkoff, producer education will remain one of the corner- stones of the work that we do. We know you need the best information available to make the best decisions in the field, and Soybean Summit will always remain our best opportunity to give you access to leading industry information. We never stop learning as an association, either. As your CEO, I’m constantly taking in new strategies, new research findings, and new ways of looking at communication and leadership. Whether it’s adopting a new process that makes the management of your checkoff investments more efficient, or doing the hard work of strategic planning to map out where the industry is going, ISA is always in the figurative classroom. Here we are at the very beginning of a new year, ripe with potential and unexplored opportunity. Let’s continue to learn and grow, and most importantly, move the Illinois soybean industry forward. Let’s make the most of those 40 chances, and let’s do it together.
