District 9 of the Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) Board of Trustees will have an election beginning Aug. 13. All ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 31 and received by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) by Sept. 7. District 9 includes Delaware, Marion, Morrow and Union Counties.

 

The candidates are Lizabeth Funderburgh of Union County and Mike Ralph of Marion County. Candidate bios can be found below.

 

Ballots will be mailed to all farmers in the district and be available by request from the Ohio Soybean Council by calling 614-476-3100.

 

Eligible voters must reside within the district within the last 30 days and have engaged in the growing of soybeans anytime during the three-year period immediately preceding Nov. 15, 2018.

 

All ballots will be counted and validated by ODA with official election results announced in late September.

 

For questions, contact Kirk Merritt, OSC executive director, at 614-476-3100 or kmerritt@soyohio.org.

 

Candidate Bios – Ohio Soybean Council District 9 Election 2018

(candidates listed alphabetically by last name)

 

Lizabeth Funderburgh – Union County

 

Lizabeth Funderburgh farms 1,100 acres of soybeans and corn, and operates a 1,200 head contract swine nursery, in partnership with her husband Matt. She also has worked for over three years for Cargill covering Central Ohio buying soybeans, corn, and wheat and covering their flex program. She is the current treasurer of the Union County Farm Bureau, a member of the Champaign County Ag Association, the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association, and the Ohio Ag Council, past chair of the Ohio Farm Bureau Young Ag Professionals Committee, and past president of the Union County Ag Association. She is a Champaign County 4H advisor, Champaign Family YMCA Youth Development Committee member, and Triad PTA member. Lizabeth graduated from Greenfield McClain High School, and earned a degree in Ag Business from Wilmington College.

 

Lizabeth’s statement on why she would like to serve on the OSC Board:

 

“I am optimistic and excited about the future for Ohio soybean farmers. I am energized and passionate about the work that has been done and will continue to be done by the OSC. I look forward, as a board member, to serving our great industry and making sure the voice and needs of all Ohio soybean farmers are at the forefront of everything the OSC does. I also look forward to taking the Ohio soybean farmer’s voice to Washington.”

 

Mike Ralph – Marion County

 

Mike Ralph farms 4,000 acres of soybean and corn as a partner in Ralph Brothers Farm. He is past president of the Marion County Farm Bureau, a member of the Ohio Soybean Association, has been active with the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, and is past president of Ridgedale FFA and a recipient of the American Farmer degree. He is a member of Epworth United Methodist Church, Upper Sandusky Masonic Lodge, and Ohio Eastern Star. He is a graduate of Ridgedale High School.

 

Mike’s statement on why he would like to serve on the OSC Board:

 

“As a lifelong farmer, I have had the honor and privilege of working alongside my grandfather, father, uncle, brother, cousin and now my son on our family farm. I would love the chance to represent one of the commodities that has been a huge part of my farm life. I would like to be a part in the future of the soybean industry. Our farm has four generations working together and I would like to ensure the success of future generations of family farms in Ohio.”