Spring weather is unpredictable; our advocacy efforts are reliable

Hello everyone! How about this unpredictable Indiana weather we are having? I think here this past week we have had all 4 seasons in one week. But the best thing about Indiana is that if you don’t like the weather it will probably change in the next couple of days.

But here at ISA the one thing you can count on is the work your leadership team and staff is doing to help advocate for farmers here in Indiana. This winter and early spring has offered both virtual events and in-person meetings with lawmakers and other farm policy decisionmakers. As chair of the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s (ISA) Membership and Policy Committee, I believe it is very important to take advantage of every opportunity we have to share our stories with elected officials.

Earlier this month, many of us got the chance to talk with Rep. Jim Baird (R-4th Dist.) at Fair Oaks Farm during a meeting hosted by ISA and ICGA in northern Indiana. Congressman Baird is quickly becoming an influential person for us in Washington, D.C. because he, too, is an Indiana farmer, he is the most informed member on the House Ag Committee. At the meeting on April 6, Baird talked about many policy issues including infrastructure, farm labor needs, fiscal policy and the next farm bill.

Then on April 7, ISA and ICGA hosted Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-9th Dist.) at Premier Ag’s new headquarters in Seymour. Hollingsworth has been a willing and frequent subject for meetings that we’ve hosted. He understands that he represents a rural, farm district, and he wants to learn more about agriculture. It’s good to know that we have representatives in Washington who care about our issues.

We are still offering virtual meetings, too. Recently, ISA and ICGA hosted the March Marathon Webinar Series. This series highlighted expert speakers to talk about agronomy, sustainability, market development and tax policy issues. These webinars were made possible by the contributions of ISA and ICGA corporate supporters.

If you were not able to watch the webinars live, email Macy Mead at mmead@indianasoybean.com, and she will provide a link for you. And if you’re not a member of our policy organizations, ask Macy about that, too.

Madeline Lilly adds to marketing efforts

Promoting soybeans and corn to new users and customers is no small task. To help with those efforts, ISA, the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Corn Growers Association has hired Madeline Lilly as the organizations’ new Marketing and Leadership Project Manager. Her first day on the job was April 19. She will assist the marketing team on marketing, governance and leadership projects.

Madeline is from Monticello, Ind. She is a May 2020 graduate of Purdue University where she competed for the Boilermakers’ track and cross country teams. Madeline majored in Agribusiness Food Marketing, and she was involved in the agribusiness club. Most recently, Madeline worked as a production associate for the protein food company Clif Bar.