INDIANAPOLIS — Three new farmers were elected to the Indiana Soybean Alliance board of directors while five soybean growers were reelected.
New to the board are Allen Buchanan of Fowler, Brian Warpup of Warren, and Dylan Christopher of Brookston.
Directors reelected to the board include Carey McKibben of LaGrange, Gary McDaniel of Boonville, Kevin Cox of Brazil, Roger Bommer of Brookville, and Keevin Lemenager of Monrovia.
Buchanan and Christopher were both elected to District 1, which includes the northwestern Indiana counties of Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Lake, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Tipton, Wabash and White.
The new directors are replacing Kendell Culp and David Rodibaugh, both of Rensselaer, who recently completed their third and final terms as ISA directors.
In a contested election, Warpup defeated incumbent director Larry Wilkinson of Kimmel in District 2. McKibben was reelected in this district, as well.
District 2 includes Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Huntington, Jay, LaGrange, Madison, Noble, Randolph, Steuben, Wayne, Wells and Whitley counties.
Newly Elected Board Directors
Farming in a partnership with his father, Bruce, Buchanan grows corn and soybeans on his rural Benton County farm. A full-time farmer, he has been farming since 1997.
Buchanan is a 1993 Benton Central High School graduate, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in ag economics from Purdue University in 1997.
No stranger to service, he was a member of the Farm Service Agency’s State Committee from 2017 to 2020.
Buchanan, 47, and his wife, Jayme, have three sons: Mitch, Blake and Luke.
Buchanan said his goals are simply to “continue the work of previous board members by being an advocate for Indiana soybean farmers.”
Christopher, 23, is a full-time farmer who began farming in 2016. In addition to soybeans, he also produces dent corn and popcorn on his farm that crosses into White, Carroll, Tippecanoe and Cass counties.
Recently married to his wife, Kamrin, Christopher also has been involved with Indiana Farm Bureau, and he is an FFA alumni and 10-year member of 4-H. In addition to farming, he also operates a confined swine finishing barn.
“I hope to learn new things and diversify my past experiences to create new challenges to help me grow as a person and a business owner,” Christopher explained. “I hope to be involved in committees to help the community and everyone else involved.”
Warpup, 48, raises soybeans and corn on his northeast Indiana farm that is in rural Huntington and Wells counties. He is a 1991 graduate of Huntington North High School, and he completed a degree from Ball State University in 1995.
Warpup has also served on the Huntington County Community School Board, the Huntington County Economic Development Board and the Markle and Warren Redevelopment Commissions.
He and his wife, Nicole, have three children: Benjamin, Hannah and Maleah.
“I want to help promote and continue the development of opportunities for soybean growers within its current industries,” Warpup said. “I also want to find to ways to keep soybeans as a high priority crop for Indiana farmers.”
Reelected To Three-Year Terms
In District 2, McKibben, 59, was elected to a second term. A full-time farmer, he has grown corn and soybeans since 1984 on his farm in LaGrange County.
McKibben earned agriculture degree from Purdue. He has also been involved with the Farm Credit Advocate Council, the Lakeland School Corporation Board and the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
McKibben and his wife, Kim, have three children: Scott, Lauren and Nicole.
“I want to advocate and lead in any way I can to advance soybean product use and demand,” he said.
McDaniel and Cox earned second terms in District 3, including the counties of Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Montgomery, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Spencer, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren and Warrick.
McDaniel, along with his wife, Shelley, and son, Derrike, operate a fifth-generation farm in Spencer and Warrick counties. They grow corn, soybeans, seed soybeans, wheat, hay and have a cow-calf operation.
In addition, they also contract snow removal and do custom hauling. They own and operate a family wedding and events barn located on the farm, as well.
McDaniel has been an active member of many local organizations including Farm Bureau and southern Indiana livestock, as well as being a supporter of 4-H and FFA.
McDaniel’s goals include promoting new uses for Indiana soybeans and educating others on the benefits of IISA membership.
Cox, 57, grows corn and soybeans on his farm that covers parts of Parke, Putnam, Clay and Vigo counties. A full-time farmer, he has been farming since 1982.
Cox and his wife, Brenda, have three children: Trent, Sarah and Trisha. He also operates a trucking business.
Cox has served with Indiana Farm Bureau, the Parke County REMC Board, the Jackson Township Advisory Board, among other.
A voice for Indiana farmers, Cox said, “Agriculture needs individuals willing and ready to share their story with the media and those in positions of authority.”
Bommer and Lemenager were reelected to District 4, spanning Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union and Washington counties.
Bommer, 73, is beginning his third term with the ISA board. A full-time farmer, he has been growing soybeans and corn on his Franklin County farm since 1971. He sold a 200-cow dairy herd in 2017.
Bommer graduated from Purdue in 1971, and he has served with the Franklin County Farm Bureau — including 14 years as president. He and his wife, Julie, have three children: Darren, Allison and Lisa.
“I want to direct soybean checkoff funds to be spent wisely and to help move more soybeans,” Bommer said. “I’d also like to help promote new uses of soy-based products.”
Starting his third term on the ISA board, Lemenager, 46, has a cattle operation in addition to his soybean and corn crops.
A full-time farmer since 2000, Lemenager’s farm is in parts of Morgan, Putnam and Hendricks counties.
He is a Purdue graduate, and he has also served with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Lemenager and his wife, April, have two children: Brigham and Baylor.
He said his goals are to “help utilize checkoff dollars to increase demand for soybeans to help the Indiana farmers who grow them.”
The ISA election process continues, and ISA is seeking candidates for the 2022 election. Go to www.indianasoybean.com/elections to read more information about serving as an ISA director or to download a director expectation statement. For details, call Madeline Lilly 317-650-3296.
ISA will distribute election ballots to soybean farmers by mail this spring and will announce election results in the summer.