At the 2025 Illinois Soybean Board (ISB) public meeting in Champaign, Ill., three new Illinois soybean farmers were elected to the Illinois Soybean Board of Directors. Each brings a unique perspective to our industry, and we’re excited to introduce them to our Illinois Field & Bean readers.

District 4 – Weston Olson
Weston Olson is the District 4 Director for the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and serves on the Soybean Production Committee.

A fifth-generation corn and soybean farmer and former Illinois Soy Envoy, Olson farms near Wyanet, Ill., with his father on their family’s centennial operation. He works full-time as a Field Agronomist for Biolumic and spends his evenings and weekends either on the farm or with his wife, Jesamieh, and their daughter, Megan.

Olson looks forward to both supporting and learning from ISA’s agronomic research. “Farmers like stuff that’s unbiased. So it’s best that research comes from organizations like the Illinois Soybean Association – they’re just trying products out and different practices to see what actually works best. And I salute that, because I can try it on my own farm, but we can only do so much,” he says.

For Olson, this kind of research is especially important for his smaller-scale farm, where limited acreage and tighter margins can make it harder to take risks on new practices.

“We’re not a typical farm,” Olson says. “There are all kinds of farmers around Illinois. There are absolutely giant farmers with tons of acres, and others, like us, operate on the smaller side, maybe farming somewhere between 100 to 400 acres. Advocacy in the farming community is often focused on volume, and it’s easier for large-scale farms to implement new practices or technology. And that’s fine, it’s just that a smaller farmer has a
harder time. We must be mindful of our finances.”

During his term, Olson hopes to be a voice for the small-scale farmers of Illinois, ensuring their needs are considered as impactful decisions are made.

District 6 – Rob Shaffer
Rob Shaffer is ISA’s District 6 Director and serves as Chairman of the Government Relations Committee.

A familiar face in the U.S. soybean industry, Rob Shaffer has been involved with ISA since 2010 and has been an American Soybean Association (ASA) Board Director since 2016. Passionate about farmer-focused legislation, Shaffer is looking forward to leading the Government Relations Committee. “These days, there’s a lot of uncertainty within our industry, and it’s important that Illinois farmers have a presence in Springfield and Washington so we can educate policymakers about the issues Illinois and U.S. farmers face,” he says.

Shaffer farms in El Paso, Ill., alongside his brother, Emory, his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons, Bobby and Jacob, raising corn, soybeans and cattle. A lifelong ag professional, he studied ag business and animal science in college and began his career in ag sales before returning to the farm full-time.

Since then, Shaffer has been a dedicated leader in the U.S. soy industry. “I like to stay busy,” he says. “At ISA, I’ve served as Treasurer, Secretary and Bylaws Committee Chairman and was a member of the National Biodiesel Board. Right now, as an ASA Director, I’m the Commodity Classic co-chair, 1st Vice Chairman of
Clean Fuels Alliance America and I serve as the Chairman of ASA’s PAC.” He’s also active within local organizations, such as the Grainland Farmers Elevator Board and the alumni board of the agriculture-focused Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.

District 8 – Tim Clark
Tim Clark is the District 8 Director for ISA and sits on the Soybean Production Committee.

Located near the small community of Colmar, Ill., Clark’s farm has been in his family since the 1970s, and this is his first year farming the land himself. However, Clark isn’t a stranger to Illinois agriculture. “I’ve been involved in the farming industry for most of my life,” says Clark. “My dad and I used to farm about 1,000 acres. Then the ’80s came along. So I got out of farming until I started at the local elevator.”

Today, Clark is a seed manager at Augusta Farmers Co-Op and was previously the owner of a Macomb-based construction company.

As a new farmer and first-time Board Director, Clark is eager to make the most of his first year.

“One of my main goals is to absorb as much knowledge as I can and share it with my customers,” Clark says. “I think it’ll be highly beneficial to take what I learn from others and bring that back to the people I work with every day.”

In his free time, Clark enjoys collecting and restoring antique vehicles, as well as drag racing. He also values time spent with his wife, Stacy, along with their children and grandchildren.

For more information about the Illinois Soybean Board of Directors, visit www.ilsoy.org/board-of-directors/.