Happy New Year to all! After serving as first vice president and vice president for the past two years, I am honored to move into the president role for 2022–2023. I would like to thank my fellow board members for trusting me with this position and its leadership responsibilities for the coming year. Furthermore, I would like to thank Ryan Rhoades of Marion County for his leadership as president over the past two years and I look forward to working with him as board chairman.

At the OSA December board meeting, new officers were elected for the 2022 executive committee. Rusty Goebel of Williams County was elected as the vice president, Jerry Bambauer of Auglaize County was elected as treasurer and Trish Cunningham of Union County was elected as secretary. You can read more about the newly appointed executive team on here.

Over the past 12 months, we never let our foot off the gas when advocating for the soybean industry. We began the year by preparing and speaking with new legislators in the General Assembly, followed by attending the virtual 2021 Commodity Classic, Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium and hosting corporate partner and sponsor events.

Over the next 12 months, we will be trying something new with our magazine. Each issue will be themed around a particular topic relevant to the soybean industry. Th is issue is centered on the biodiesel industry, including renewable diesel, BioHeat and sustainable aviation fuel. OSA works closely with the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) as they advocate for the biodiesel industry on Capitol Hill. Our sister organization, the Ohio Soybean Council, also works closely with NBB’s checkoff -funded efforts to promote biodiesel. Cindy Layman from Hardin County represents Ohio on the NBB Board of Trustees.

Furthermore, OSA created a new membership model that can accommodate you and your operation’s needs. I would compare it to a cell phone plan—you can get a membership for the whole family! Your membership is vital to the success of our organization and allows us to advocate for policies that will protect and benefit soybean farmers for generations to come. If you are already a member, consider reaching out to your OSA district representative to get a feel for what we are working on and how you can help. Visit www.soyohio.org/membership to learn more.

Thank you for reading the Ohio Soybean News and I look forward to serving as your OSA President for the next two years!

Patrick Knouff

Ohio Soybean Association President

Shelby County soybean farmer