Throughout the coming year, ASA President John Heisdorffer will share his thoughts and insights on the work ASA is doing in Washington and nationwide each month in a monthly president's message. Below is the first in this series.

All,

It was an honor to be elected as ASA’s new president this month, and I’m excited to continue the work my predecessors have begun and represent soy growers across the country.

I farm with my wife Deanna and son Chris in Keota, Iowa where we grow soybeans and corn, and finish 10,000 head of hogs each year. I’ve served on ASA board of directors since 2010, have served in various capacites for the Iowa Soybean Assocation and have served on the National Biodiesel Board.

One thing farming has taught me is that regardless of how busy you are, there is always room to roll up your sleeves and find time to work hard on what you’re passionate about.

It is an exciting and important time in agriculture, especially for soy growers. We’re growing a record number of beans, which increases our need for trade and reliable infrastructure to get soybeans to port; we’re gearing up for another farm bill in which we’re looking to strengthen the farm safety net; taxes, infrasturcture, RFS and biotechnology continue to be at the forefront of our policy agenda.

Additionally, ASA’s governing committee is returning from a retreat where we continued to advance ASA’s strategic plan to focus on policy and advocate for growers’ freedom to operate, and members of ASA’s board of directors are continuing the process to hire a new CEO.

This new newsletter is my way to interact with each of you during my presidency. While I hope you know you can always pick up the phone or send me an e-mail, I look forward to sharing with you my thoughts each month on the issues facing the soybean industry and how we are working to best serve our growers.

Thanks for reading and let’s get to work.

Best,

John Heisdorffer
President, American Soybean Association