Serving on the Board of Directors

There are two directors for each of Iowa’s nine crop reporting districts and four at-large directors. Elections for open seats are held in July. Board members are elected to a three-year term and can serve three consecutive terms. All Iowa soybean farmers receive ballots to vote for the ISA board.

Iowa Farmers at ISA

Additional leadership is provided by farmer directors representing the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board. Ex-officio directors represent Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Iowa State University.

What is the Iowa Soybean Association?
The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) is a commodity membership association that is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development, new uses, farmer-focused research and results, policy initiatives and communication tools to tell the soybean farmer’s story. ISA is funded by checkoff dollars and staff and directors work to leverage those funds with additional investments from industry partners.

Membership levels include non-cost Farmer Membership (covered by checkoff investment) and Advocate Membership (comprised of non-checkoff funds that range from $100 for one year to $275 for three years for farmers).

ISA is governed by a board of 22 volunteer farmer-directors who meet throughout the year to develop ISA's policies and programs. Directors are elected by Iowa soybean farmers in July and take office in September. Farmer directors certify that they marketed 250 bushels of soybeans in the previous marketing year for their election to the board. The board is led by the executive committee comprised of the president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer and an at-large executive committee member.
What does the board do?
  • Manages and conducts the business of the Iowa Soybean Association.
  • Uphold certain standards of conduct including duty of care, duty of loyalty, duty of obedience, and duty of transparency.
  • Serve on two of four ISA committees each year. These committees lead the staff members’ work and provide direction regarding board decisions. The committees are Policy, Demand, Supply and Information & Education.
  • Serve as voting delegates for the ISA Policy Conference held in December.
  • At minimum, board members report 15 off-farm days annually:
    • Quarterly board meetings are required. These are typically held in September, December, February/March and June. Board meetings are two to three days in length and usually held at the ISA office in Ankeny. The February/March meeting is held at Commodity Classic.
    • Board members are encouraged to participate in trade missions, work with the media, represent ISA at events and meetings and more.
    • Committee meetings are held in conjunction with the board meetings. If committees need to meet between board meetings, these are held virtually using Zoom.
  • Asked to invest as Advocate Members.
  • Be a trusted point of contact for farmer members within your district. 

What positions are available for this election?

The following districts will have races for the 2025-26 ISA Board of Directors election. The counties included in each district are listed below. Please note that District 8 has two open seats and therefore two races occurring in 2025-26.

  • District 3: Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Howard, Winneshiek
  • District 4: Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Sac, Shelby, Woodbury
  • District 5: Boone, Dallas, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, Tama, Webster
  • District 6: Benton, Cedar, Clinton, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Muscatine, Scott
  • District 8 (first seat): Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Ringgold, Union, Warren, Wayne
  • District 8 (second seat): Appanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Ringgold, Union, Warren, Wayne
  • At-Large: The At-Large Director seat represents all Iowa counties.

How do I run for the board? 

We are now accepting applications for the 2025-26 ISA Board of Directors election. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2025. To run for the board, farmers must certify that they marketed 250 bushels of soybeans in the previous marketing year, confirm their ISA farmer membership, complete the application and submit a signed candidate eligibility affidavit.

All candidates must submit the required documents, which will be reviewed by the ISA Nominations Committee prior to approving the election slate. Elections for the eligible races will take place in July, and results will be announced in August.

How can I learn more?

You can talk to any current director and ask about their experience with the board. You can also contact any member of the ISA Producer Services Team for more information. They are happy to talk to you about your interests and leadership goals.

Candidate Application 

All potential candidates who submit their names through the form below will receive a follow-up from ISA staff to fill out the Iowa Soybean Association Director Candidacy Affidavit of Eligibility, certifying that they marketed 250 bushels of soybeans in the previous marketing year. All candidates will then be reviewed for approval by the ISA Nominations Committee. Answers provided to the Candidate Biography questions will be used to create a biography for election materials.