Bloomington, Ill. – July 29, 2026 – The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) elected new leadership during its annual public meeting on July 29 in Champaign.
At the meeting, Bryan Severs was re-elected Chairman of ISA. Severs is a third-generation farmer in Vermillion County, where his family raises corn, soybeans and cattle. He has served as ISA’s District 7 Director since 2020 and previously took on additional leadership roles including Treasurer and Soybean Production Committee Chairman. Severs also currently serves as Chairman of U.S. Identity Preserved Alliance (USIPA) and as an American Soybean Association (ASA) Director.
“I am excited to serve a second term as Chairman of the Illinois Soybean Board and continue my work on behalf of the 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois,” said Severs.” “I am proud of what we have accomplished over the past year to strengthen our industry, and as soybean farmers continue to navigate challenging times, it is more important than ever that that we have a strong voice in Springfield, Washington, D.C. and around the world.”
Other elected executive committee members include Brady Holst of Plymouth, Vice Chairman; Rob Shaffer of El Paso, Treasurer; Scott Gaffner of Greenville, Secretary; and Emily Lovelady of Tamaroa, Assistant Treasurer-Secretary.
The following individuals were also elected:
District Directors:
- District 1 (Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb and Lee counties): Ryan Frieders
- District 5 (Knox, Fulton, Peoria, Tazewell, Putnam and Marshall counties): Brad Zimmerman
- District 7 (Iroquois, Ford and Vermillion counties): Bryan Severs
- District 9 (Mason, Cass, Morgan, Menard, Sangamon and Logan counties): Doug Martin
- District 12 (Pike, Calhoun, Scott, Greene, Jersey and Macoupin counties): Jonathan Griffel
- District 13 (Montgomery, Bond, Fayette and Marion counties): Heath Houck
At-Large Directors:
- At-Large Director: Brady Holst of Plymouth
- At-Large Director: Jeff O’Connor of Kankakee
- At-Large Director: Lance Tarochione of Maquon or London Mills
At the June 2026 Illinois Soybean Board meeting, Tim Scates was elected District 16 Director (Clay, Wayne, Richland, Edwards, Lawrence, Wabash and White counties); and Trent Maxwell was elected District 14 Director (Cumberland, Clark, Effingham, Jasper and Crawford counties).
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The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development, soybean production and government relations efforts, while the membership program, Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG) and the Illinois Soybean Growers PAC actively advocates for positive and impactful legislation for farmers at local, state and national levels. ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean farmers through promotion, advocacy, research and education with the vision of becoming a trusted partner of Illinois soybean farmers to ensure their profitability now and for future generations. For more information, visit the website www.ilsoy.org and www.ilsoygrowers.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Betsy Osman
Illinois Soybean Association
betsy.osman@ilsoy.org
