Noble County farmer Tom Griffiths wanted to know how his soybean checkoff dollars were managed, so he ran for a seat on the Indiana Soybean Alliance Board. He won his first term in 2008 and has now served three terms. In his final stint as a director, Griffiths was elected to serve as this year's chairman of the board of the Indiana Soybean Alliance.
Raised on a farm near Avilla, Griffiths had to grow up fast when he lost both of his parents within a year of each other while he was in his late teens. After graduating from high school, he worked in a Kendallville welding shop but found himself drawn back to farming. Griffiths worked full-time as he gradually acquired ground. By the time he was in his mid-20s, he was able to quit welding and farm full-time.
Currently, he farms 500 acres of rolling ground that is classified as highly erodible. Griffiths raises hay, soybeans and corn on the acreage as well as feeding out beef cattle. His wife, Kimberly, and son, Glen, also help around the farm. He manages his ground with the future in mind.
"I have been no-till ever since I started farming in 1988. No-till, filter strips, fill borders on the edge of the fields or woods," said Griffith.
For his conservation efforts, he has been awarded Conservation Farmer of the Year by the Noble County SWCD.
As chairman of the ISA board, Griffiths works with various entities to market Indiana soybeans. Checkoff dollars can only be used to promote soybeans, weed management yields, water issues and fund studies to find new uses for soybeans. The board meets to examine research proposals and award grant money for this purpose. Soybean crayons, candles and concrete sealer are examples of products that came from Soybean Alliance funded research.
In board meetings, checkoff discussions must be disconnected from legislative matters. Each time the conversation turns to political issues, the ISA staff is obligated to charge their time to the ISA and will be paid from membership dues and not checkoff money. The staff also must track their hours devoted to the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, according to Griffiths.
Indiana is unique because the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council shares the same staff. The ISA and ICMC have issues in common such as the deterioration of Indiana's roads and bridges, the Ohio River dams and locks as well as exporting product. ISA also has a close relationship with the U. S. Poultry and Egg Assn. and the U. S. Meat Export Federation, said Griffiths.
At this time, South Korea is in the market for poultry due to a major outbreak of avian flu. The ISA, through the American Soybean Assn., is providing money to the USPEA to market American poultry to South Korea.
"If you are trading poultry, you are selling soybeans, and another thing to keep in mind is that 53 percent of all soybean meal in Indiana goes to feed poultry—layers, broilers, turkeys and ducks," said Griffiths.
As chairman of the ISA, Griffiths believes that soybean producers need to stick together. Membership in the ISA is a way to ensure their unified voices are heard at both the state and national level.