Hello Soy Family,

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it promises to be one of the busiest, especially for the American Soybean Association (ASA).

ASA President John Heisdorffer

On Feb. 12 we announced the hire of our new Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Findlay, who brings a wealth of experience and a vision for the next chapter of ASA as a first-class U.S. commodity organization. We are excited to have him on board and look forward to working together to advance soy policy priorities.

With soy policy priorities in mind, February saw the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 which includes fixes for both the cotton and dairy programs in the current farm bill, as well as a one-year extension of the biodiesel tax credit, retroactive to 2017.

Additionally, President Trump announced his infrastructure initiative this month and, as expected, the Administration is asking for $200 billion in direct federal funding to leverage a total of $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments. The focus of one-quarter of federal funding on rural infrastructure needs will benefit the movement of commodities and the global market competitiveness of U.S. soybeans.

As we continue working on policy in Washington, D.C., ASA also has its eyes set on Anaheim and Commodity Classic later this month. Classic is America’s largest farmer-led and farmer-focused convention and trade show, and ASA will be looking for policy priorities from on-the-ground growers. Our booth on the trade show floor will host ag media each day, who will be discussing key priorities with grower leaders. Make sure you stop by and say hello!

One of the highlights at Commodity Classic this year is our General Session where USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue will address attendees. Additionally, I encourage everyone to attend the Soy Social and Auction and to take advantage of other learning opportunities like ASA’s Open Policy Session and educational sessions.

As always, Commodity Classic will wrap up when ASA’s Voting Delegates revise and set policy priorities for the coming year. From the farm bill to trade to transportation infrastructure and more, we have a busy year ahead.  I appreciate the hard work of our board, state affiliates and staff to make sure we pursue policies that benefit on-the-ground soy growers.

It’s a great, and busy, time to be part of the soy family. As always, thanks for your hard work and see you in Anaheim.

John Heisdorffer

President, American Soybean Association