By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

FRANKENMUTH, Mich. — Nominees are needed from among soybean farmers who are interested in becoming young leaders in the soybean industry.

New deadlines recently were announced for the American Soybean Assoc. (ASA), Michigan Soybean Assoc. (MSA) and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. 2009 Young Leader Program. It is recognized throughout agriculture for its longstanding tradition of identifying and cultivating the future producer leaders who are shaping the U.S. soybean industry.

More than half of all past Young Leaders serve on state or national soybean association or promotion boards, and many are active in regional or county organizations as well.

“I was impressed with the Young Leader Program and how it has been training leaders for 25 years,” said Chad McNaughton from Croswell, Mich. He and his wife, Alison, were selected as Michigan’s 2008 Young Leaders. “It’s really nice to have a program that involves couples. We learned a lot.”

“The skills we learned can be applied not only on the farm but off as well,” Alison said. “The experience was invaluable to us.”
This year’s Young Leader Program will offer the same outstanding leadership training, but will be conducted on a different timeline from past years. The first training will be Dec. 1-4 in Des Moines, Iowa, and will conclude with training during the Commodity Classic, Feb. 24-28, 2009, in Grapevine, Texas.

The program has deep roots, starting in 1984. The program goal is to seek and develop new leadership for agriculture. It desires candidates who are innovative, asser-tive, “young” or new to leadership and who want to make their mark on agriculture.
A group of MSA directors and past Young Leaders will select Michigan’s 2009 Young Leader. Finalists will receive a trip for two to Pioneer’s headquarters in Des Moines Dec. 1-4 and also to the Commodity Classic in Texas.

Applications are being mailed to all ASA and MSA members. Forms are also available by e-mailing a request to soy info@michigansoybean.org or by calling the MSA office at 989-652-3294. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1.