President’s Column: March/April 2019

March 21, 2019 Ohio Soybean Association

Advocacy is hard. It’s a time-consuming process that requires a tremendous amount of patience and focus on the end goal. But for many, serving a community they love and a cause they believe in is worth it.

Bret Davis, Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) and American Soybean Association board member, has served as an advocate for our industry for many years and was recently featured in Ohio media talking about advocacy. That article is republished in this issue and I encourage you to read about what he’s helped us accomplish.

Additionally, in this issue you’ll read about the updated policy priorities of
OSA and the newly elected Ohio administration. Gov. Mike DeWine has his
cabinet members in place and I am optimistic that we’ll have a good working
relationship on many issues, including water quality.

Trade and market access are still major priorities for us and will continue to be until the trade dispute with China is resolved. I recently watched an excellent webinar hosted by the Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff that featured Ben Brown, Program Manager of the Farm Management Program at The Ohio State University. He talked about the current trade situation and how it’s affecting the soybean markets now and its potential effects into 2020 and beyond.

Have a safe and productive planting season.

Scott Metzger