By RICK A. RICHARDS
Indiana Correspondent

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Alan Kemper’s farm in southern Tippecanoe County in north central Indiana is a success by any measure. It’s profitable, produces plenty of corn and soybeans, along with lots of cattle.

The fourth-generation farmer (his family’s agricultural roots go back to 1888) also has an impressive resume, serving his country in the military and as an advisor to U.S. Sen. Dan Quayle (R-Ind.) and President Bill Clinton, along with leadership positions in the Indiana Soybean Board and president of the National Corn Growers Assoc.

It would be easy to relax at home while his son, Brian, runs the operation, but relaxing isn’t in Kemper’s nature.

He has just taken over as president of the American Soybean Assoc. (ASA), an assignment he says is both humbling and challenging. “If it wasn’t for my son and my wife, I couldn’t do this,” said Kemper. “This really was a family decision. It’s thrilling for me to represent the nation’s soybean farmers.”

When he was named by the ASA’s board last year as first vice president, Kemper knew that he would step into the presidency this year. And when he did, Kemper was off and running to China and South Korea, two of the world’s largest consumers of U.S. soybeans.

In 2010, Kemper said U.S. soy exports were valued at $21 billion, representing 1.9 billion bushels of soybeans that were turned into soy meal and soy oil. The largest consumer of U.S. soybeans is China, which imported 825 million bushels – one quarter of the total U.S. crop. South Korea imported 25 million bushels last year, nearly double what it imported the previous year.

Earlier in 2010, Kemper met with Colombian ambassador Caroline Barco Isakson in Washington to discuss free trade issues. “I expressed ASA’s appreciation for their business and thanked the ambassador for being a valued customer for soybeans and soybean products in the United States. I also reassured the ambassador that ASA is proactively working with Congress to pass the free trade agreement.”

That agreement, said Kemper, would provide immediate duty-free access to U.S. soybeans for crushing and to U.S. soybean meal. Kemper said the ASA is focusing on three key issues in 2011. The first is the 2012 Farm Bill. He said he will be meeting with new members of Congress to get them “up to speed” on critical farm issues. One of those issues will be any climate change legislation that is before Congress. “We want to make sure that legislation doesn’t negatively impact farming,” said Kemper.

Second, Kemper said he will work with Congress and ASA members on crop insurance. “The current insurance program needs revisions. We need them in order to provide young farmers with better management tools,” said Kemper.

Finally, the ASA will target biotechnology. “All countries have some sort of process in place that governs biotechnology,” said Kemper. He said the ASA would like more standardized biotechnology procedures so soybean producers would be able to grow the type of product that would meet the needs of a changing world.

“We have over 22,000 members and I want to re-energize them,” said Kemper. One way to do that is to bring in new members, and later this month, the ASA will sign an agreement with New York soybean growers that will make New York the latest state to affiliate with the 90-year-old organization. Kemper also wants soybean growers to think a bit about themselves, too. In particular, Kemper said it’s important for farmers to begin thinking how to make an orderly transition from one generation to another or in turning over an operation to someone else.

Kemper, 58, said he’s thought about that a lot, especially since his son, Brian, has returned to the farm. Brian graduated from Purdue, but from its business school. After being involved in other business ventures, Brian, 29, has returned to the farm. Kemper said he’s glad he has someone so capable running the farm since he’s away from home between 180 and 190 days a year on ASA business.
One of the keys to success for soybean farmers – or any farming operation for that matter – is to be aware of the cyclical nature of agriculture and recognize that change is a constant.

“We’re going to have to embrace change,” said Kemper. “And the biggest change is to have a mindset to embrace change. We’re in a golden era of technological change, which has created a new paradigm in commodity prices. Our thinking should not be where we’re going to be five years from now, but where are we going to be next year.”

Kemper said farmers can’t be lulled by the success they’ve had in the past. In the United States, consumers spend only 8 percent of their disposable income on food. The next closest is Europe, where 15 percent of disposable income goes to food.

“That’s a $1 trillion difference,” said Kemper. “It’s good to remember that while we can give up some of our labor skills through new technology, we can’t give up our management skills.”