The American Soybean Association operates as a producer-driven organization, relying on farming volunteers who serve as board members and guide emerging agricultural leaders.
Behind each agricultural policy victory lies extensive work and numerous individuals consistently championing soybean producers. The ASA’s governing documents establish specialized advocacy teams to help distribute responsibilities and enhance focus among soy leaders. These teams monitor policy developments, create advocacy strategies, and provide guidance in targeted policy areas. ASA directors chair each advocacy team.
FARM POLICY ADVOCACY TEAM
The Farm Policy team tackles economic sustainability and financial services matters. ASA Director Geoff Ruth from Rising City, Nebraska, chairs this team. Ruth represents a seventh-generation farming family, cultivating soybeans, corn, and cover crop rye. His leadership experience spans multiple boards, including the Shelby-Rising City Public School Board of Education, Nebraska Soybean Association, Nebraska Farm Service Agency, and various local community committees.
When asked about his 2026 priorities as team chair, Ruth emphasized the urgency of current challenges.
“There is no shortage of issues facing soybean farmers and agriculture as a whole in 2026. It is important for me as chair of the Farm Policy Advocacy Team to stay engaged and focused on the challenges and opportunities that lie before us in the soybean industry,” Ruth said. “At the top of the list of priorities is encouraging Congress to pass a farm bill. We are long overdue for an updated farm bill, and continued extensions of the previous farm bills are not the security and stabilization that agriculture needs in these uncertain times.”
Ruth noted that issues evolve rapidly, sometimes changing by the minute, making timely evaluation and response crucial for their advocacy team.
Regarding his motivation for leadership, Ruth expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
“It is an honor to serve as chair of the Farm Policy AT. I have always enjoyed serving people, whether that be as the current president of my local board of education, church council leadership, Nebraska Soybean Association, the Farm Service Agency as a member of the State Board, or even as a youth basketball/football/softball coach,” Ruth explained.
He advised aspiring leaders to embrace difficult challenges. “For those who have an interest in leadership, be willing to do the hard thing. Saying ‘yes’ and being outside your comfort zone is one of the hardest first steps when it comes to leadership,” Ruth said.
CONSERVATION & PRECISION AG ADVOCACY TEAM
The Conservation & Precision Ag team handles conservation, agricultural technology, checkoff and research, soy foods and nutrition, biobased consumer products, livestock, and labor issues. ASA Director Denise Scarborough from LaCrosse, Indiana, leads this team. She farms with her husband Mark, producing soybeans, commercial corn, seed corn, and wheat. The couple also operates an excavating business, and Scarborough works as a commercial and agricultural lender at First National Bank of Monterey.
Scarborough’s involvement includes Indiana Farm Bureau service at local, state, and national levels, plus volunteering with 4-H, Purdue Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching, youth sports, and her church. She has served as an Indiana Soybean Alliance director since 2017.
Discussing her 2026 goals, Scarborough emphasized shifting from reactive to proactive approaches.
“I think some of the personal goals are to be proactive instead of reactive. When President Trump took office for the second time, we didn’t know what to fully expect, and it caused us to be reactive to what was happening,” Scarborough said. “When the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report came out, we didn’t imagine that we would have to defend the soybean as much as we are.”
She highlighted Indiana’s position as the leading high oleic soybean producer and the unexpected need to defend healthy soybeans against ultra-processed food concerns.
BIOFUELS & INFRASTRUCTURE ADVOCACY TEAM
The Biofuels & Infrastructure team focuses on energy policies related to biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel, plus infrastructure matters involving ocean shipping, inland waterways, railways, roads, broadband, and industrial biobased products. ASA Director Drew Peterson from Salem, South Dakota, chairs this team. Peterson represents a fifth-generation farming family, raising soybeans and corn while operating a cow-calf and cattle feeding business with his father Steve, alongside his wife Lauren and their two children.
Peterson joined the South Dakota Soybean Association as a Corteva Young Leader in 2019, served as board vice president for three years, participates in the South Dakota Ag Foundation, and has been a state legislator for four years.
“Coming into 2026, my main goal was to get finalized Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z) guidance in place,” Peterson said. “Not only would this certainty be good for soybean producers, but it will also help our country with energy security in a volatile geopolitical climate across the globe.”
Peterson emphasized infrastructure investment needs. “Continued investment in inland waterways and rail improvements are needed to keep our transportation infrastructure resilient, no matter where our whole bean and soybean byproducts need to be transported,” he said.
REGULATORY ADVOCACY TEAM
The Regulatory team addresses biotechnology, crop protection, pesticidal tools, and other regulatory activities. ASA Director Andrew Moore from Dalton, Georgia, chairs this team. Moore farms with his father and uncle in Northwest Georgia, using double crop production to raise nine different row crops or cereal grains on a five-year rotation. In 2008, they added value through vertical integration, constructing an Expeller Press™ oilseed processing facility and pellet mill for manufacturing animal feeds.
Moore’s 2026 priorities focus on strengthening advocacy capabilities.
“As chair of the advocacy team in 2026, my priorities are to further strengthen our soy team members’ capacity to advocate effectively on near-term regulatory issues impacting soy farmers,” Moore said. “This includes identifying and defining emerging regulatory challenges that are moving through the pipeline and are likely to affect farmers in the future.”
He stressed the importance of farmer participation. “Getting involved matters because participation makes our voices stronger and ensures they are heard,” Moore said.
TRADE POLICY & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ADVOCACY TEAM
The Trade Policy & International Affairs team handles trade, market access, tariff and non-tariff barriers, international food aid, aquaculture, federal grain standards, fertilizer, and tax issues. ASA Director Josh Gackle from Kulm, North Dakota, chairs this team. He farms 2,800 acres of soybeans while also producing corn, wheat, and barley. Gackle began ASA board service in late 2017, served as ASA president in 2024, and has been active with the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association board and committees. He also serves on the Kulm City Council.
“TPIA plays a key role in maintaining and increasing existing demand and building new demand for U.S. soybean farmers’ international markets,” Gackle said. “The AT works closely with the state soybean associations, WISHH, USSEC, and USB to build on these priorities.”
Gackle emphasized the organization’s broader impact. “ASA is one of the most impactful organizations when it comes to government policy that affects our farm and business operations. There is power in numbers, and our organizations make sure our voice as farmers and rural America are heard by decision makers at the local, state, and national level,” he said.
