Ballots will be going out the week of July 13 in Districts 5 and 7. Please follow the ballot instructions carefully to ensure your vote is counted. If you have not received a ballot by July 17, please call 402-564-5827 and request one.
Return ballots should be postmarked by July 31st.
The Nebraska Soybean Board is funded and led by you, its farmers. If you want your voice heard and to see your input reflected in the work NSB does, it’s important that you vote in the election for the NSB board members in July.
We strongly encourage all Nebraska soybean farmers in Districts 5 and 7 to vote and to get to know your board members once they take office. Learn more about District 5 and 7 candidates below.
Larry Hudkins and his wife, Carol, who served as a Nebraska State Senator for 16 years, daughter, Kathy and son-inlaw, Henrik, operate the family farm near Malcolm. They raise soybeans, corn, alfalfa, rye and have a crossbred cow-calf and back grounding beef operation. Larry’s board, committee and leadership experience includes: Seward County Cooperative, Nebraska Cattlemen, National Cattlemen Beef Checkoff, LEAD, Nebraska Ag Relations Council, KRVN Rural Radio Board of Directors, Lancaster County Farm Bureau and State Board of Directors and the Malcolm Public School Board. Larry has also been a member of the Nebraska and American Soybean Associations for many years. Comments by Larry: I have wanted to further serve the soybean industry ever since being asked to be part of a trade mission to China, sponsored by the NSB and AGP. We met with Chinese buyers, processors, farmers and government officials in formal and “boots on the ground” meetings. We discussed shipping and processing and toured hog, chicken, and fish farms. This was a real eye opener for me to see first hand the tremendous potential we have to export more soybeans positively impacting Nebraska soybean farmers. I have been interested in serving on the NSB but as a long time Lancaster County Commissioner, I had meetings every Tuesday and Thursday. I also had budget meetings, Board of Equalization, general assistance meetings, and Public Building Commission and District Energy meetings, both of which I chaired. I retired from the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners two years ago and feel I now have the time, energy and desire to serve the soybean industry. I would appreciate your vote for the NSB and the opportunity to continue serving the business we call agriculture.
Klark Knipe farms on a multi-generational farm. Klark currently farms with his father and we raise soybeans, corn and alfalfa. Along with the crops, the Knipes have a farrow to finish hog operation while also raising sheep. He has an educational background of a BA from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and a MS from Peru State College. Comments by Klark: As a soybean farmer I can see the value of the NSB and the work they put into promoting Nebraska soybeans. There are many obstacles facing soybean growers currently such as profitability and sustainability. Finding more exports and demand for soybean products such as meal or oil can only help the grower in the future.
Brent Steinhoff and his family live on the farm where he was raised. He has been involved in agricultural production his whole life by raising crops and livestock. His operation began in 1997 and includes corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and a small number of 4-H pigs for his children. After college, Brent was the nursery manager for a local hog facility and also has numerous years of experience in soil conservation construction. Comments by Brent: After participating in NSB See For Yourself, I saw how important the Nebraska Soybean Board is for the industry. I knew that I wanted to be more involved in the promotion of the soybean industry and gain more knowledge of how the industry works. I think an important issue facing soybean producers today is staying competitive in the ever-changing world market. As other countries become more advanced in their production and infrastructures, the U.S. will have to work hard to maintain their foreign relations.
Matthew Favinger is a fourth generation farmer and lives in Minden with his wife, Shannon, and daughter, Haylee. He graduated from the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanized systems management, with an emphasis in managing agricultural systems. After graduating from college, Matthew came back to the farm working full time, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he started farming ground in his own name. He raises corn, soybeans, Piedmontese beef cattle, and one field of irrigated alfalfa that is currently transitioning to organic. All of Matthew’s pivot-irrigated ground and dryland is no-till, and he is also using cover crops following all of the soybean acres and some of the corn acres. Comments by
Matthew: Competition, both in the field and out of it, is the biggest challenge facing soybean producers. In the field, competition from herbicide resistant weeds is a current and continuing problem. Our effective modes of action are limited and if resistance develops to our currently used herbicides, we will have no other herbicide options to turn to. Out of the field, competition for limited markets has led to an over abundant supply of soybeans which needs to be addressed by finding new markets and expanding current markets, both internationally and domestically. I would like the opportunity to be on the Nebraska Soybean Board so I can help work towards addressing these issues and to serve the agricultural community.
Doug Saathoff and his wife own and operate West Fork Farms, Inc. in northeast Adams County, where they grow irrigated soybeans, corn, seed corn and sorghum. He graduated from UNL in 1996 with a degree in Diversified Agriculture before moving back to the family farm to work with his dad and brother. His farming practices include ridge-till and no-till, as well as conventional tillage on a limited basis. Doug has continued to keep high oleic soybeans in his rotation the last few years. He is also a member of the Nebraska LEAD program, class XXV. Comments by Doug: It has been an honor and a pleasure serving the soybean farmers in District 7 the last three years, and I would appreciate the opportunity to keep doing so. It is vital, now more than ever, that we continue to find new markets and fund new uses for Nebraska soybeans. Since day one, the Nebraska Soybean Board has led the way in research, marketing, and communication/education, and I would like to see that this continues. Seeing that the Nebraska soybean farmer’s checkoff dollars are spent wisely and used efficiently has been a top priority of mine, and I will continue to do just that.
The At-Large position on the Nebraska Soybean Board is open to all soybean farmers in Nebraska and will be elected by the sitting board members at the July board meeting.
About the Nebraska Soybean Board: The nine-member Nebraska Soybean Board collects and disburses the Nebraska share of funds generated by the one-half of one percent times the net sales price per bushel of soybeans sold. Nebraska soybean checkoff funds are invested in research, education, domestic and foreign markets, including new uses for soybeans and soybean products.
