Griffiths: Farmers benefit from working together

By Tom Griffiths, USB Board member 

The Declaration of Independence makes reference to “the pursuit of happiness.” The Declaration doesn’t guarantee happiness. Happiness is a continual quest. No one is going to lay it in your lap. It is no different than any success you have on your farm. It is an ongoing process. 

For nine years, I was a board member on the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA), our state’s soybean checkoff board. This year I will finish my ninth and final year on the United Soybean Board (USB), our national checkoff organization. I believe in the benefits of our checkoff programs. 

The checkoff can do things no individual farmer can do alone. The power of farmers working together has shown us how checkoff investments create value. We’ve all watched relationships turn into partnerships, ideas become technology, markets open that didn’t exist before, and farmers work on behalf of others who they may have never met. 

One thing I’ve always appreciated about Indiana is we understand success is a team sport. If you want to see a model of efficiency, look no further than Indiana. We have one soybean board for both policy and checkoff, and two corn boards run by one staff and one CEO. The ISA office is also the home of Indiana beef, pork and dairy offices as well as ag law firms and others. 

A strong culture is not built by organizations competing against one another. It’s built by each group working together. In Indiana, we are all on the field at the same time. That is something Indiana does exceptionally well, and it’s one of the reasons I’m proud to call Indiana my home. 

As I look back on my checkoff service, the greatest benefit of serving was never a vote or project or program – it’s the people; the friendships; the relationships I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

Agriculture needs new farmers to volunteer. I continue to see the same old faces reappearing on farm boards. You don’t need to know everything to serve. I know I didn’t. You just need to show up. 

Partnerships and poultry 

I’ve had the pleasure of serving soybean growers for many years. During my time on the USB board, I was our representative on the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC). This is another example of not knowing much to begin with but showing up and learning along the way. 

Poultry, because of its affordability, is usually the first meat protein in many countries. It’s cheap, readily available, and can be ramped up almost immediately to meet demand. It comes many varieties – turkey, duck, chicken, dark and white meat and even paws, if desired. And they all eat soybeans. 

Poultry also has an incredible partner – the egg. Shelled, liquid, frozen, powdered and a long shelf life, eggs offer a versatile, inexpensive, global protein source. 

USAPEEC has 16 offices around the world and operate efficiently with 40 staff. USAPEEC has active programs in 75 countries and more than 220 members. The challenge for USAPEEC is to promote U.S. poultry products in countries armed with tariffs, quotas, licensing requirements and sanitary regulations on production designed to protect their own poultry producers. 

USAPEEC appeals to consumers’ sense of quality and value – no matter where they live. Poultry producers, processors, packagers, cold storage warehouses, trading partners and shipping companies work together to fill whatever is needed to gain that consumer preference. 

USAPEEC is one of many partners that USB and ISA work with to benefit farmers. Ultimately, that is the goal of all farm groups – to help farmers to do what we do best.