National and State Soybean Organizations Announce 2026 Board Elections

Bloomington, Ill. - April 15, 2026 - The American Soybean Association (ASA) is now accepting applications for one Board Director position. ASA Board Directors may serve a maximum of three, three-year terms. The Board Director currently seated is eligible for two additional terms.

ASA Director eligibility requirements indicate that candidates:

• Must be a member of the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG), an affiliate of the American Soybean Association (Visit www.ilsoygrowers.com to join)
• Must be a producer of soybeans as a farm owner, farm manager, or farm operator
• May not be an officer or director of any other national soybean policy organization
• Must be elected by the Illinois Soybean Growers Board of Directors

All eligible candidates will be invited to interview with the ISG Board of Directors during their July 2026 Board Meeting in Champaign, Ill., prior to the election being conducted at the same meeting. Seating on the ASA Board will take place during ASA's December 2026 meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. No write-in provision exists for the ASA director elections.

Interested applicants should complete the online application by 4:00 PM Central Time on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

Additionally, the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) seeks qualified candidates to fill board seats representing six districts that are up for election in 2026:

• District 1: Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb, and Lee Counties
• District 5: Knox, Peoria, Marshall, Putnam, Fulton, and Tazewell Counties
• District 7: Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties
• District 9: Mason, Logan, Cass, Menard, Morgan, and Sangamon Counties
• District 12: Pike, Scott, Calhoun, Greene, Macoupin, and Jersey Counties
• District 13: Montgomery, Bond, Fayette, and Marion Counties

The ISA board is comprised of 18 district directors and six at-large directors. Board members serve a term of three years and are eligible for three total terms. Directors currently serving districts 5 and 9 are not running for an additional term.

Eligibility to serve requires candidates to be Illinois residents of legal voting age who contribute to the soybean checkoff. Candidates must also be residents within the district and maintain eligibility during their term(s). The time a director devotes to the organization depends on their level of leadership and representation needs.

To be placed on the ballot, petitions must be completed and filed with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) in Springfield no later than 5:00 PM Central Time on May 14, 2026. A candidate's petition must carry the signatures of at least 250 of the qualified producers from the district where the candidate seeks office, or five percent of farmers within the district, whichever is less.

Those wishing to run as a write-in candidate must complete, have notarized, and submit a Declaration of Intent by Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

Please contact ISA Director of Operations, Dustin Scott, at [email protected] or 309-846-3673 should you wish to enter as a candidate into this election.

ISA District elections will be held on July 7, 2026, at the University of Illinois County Extension Offices in each district.