Soy Transportation Coalition elects officers for 2011

The Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) announced its newly elected officers at its annual meeting on December 15.

 Ed Ulch of Solon, Iowa, was elected Chairman.  Ulch is currently Vice Chair of the National Biodiesel Board and serves on the Iowa Soybean Association Board of Directors.  He has held offices with the Agribusiness Association of Iowa.  Ed and his wife, Louella, have three children and eight grandchildren. 

"I look forward to serving as Chairman of the Soy Transportation Coalition," Ulch explains. "The current and future profitability of farming depends on having a cost-effective, reliable and competitive transportation infrastructure.  The Soy Transportation Coalition will be active in both exploring and implementing solutions to improve the logistics system that serves U.S. agriculture." 

Patrick Knouff of Minster, Ohio, was elected Vice Chairman.  Knouff raises corn and soybeans, as well as a herd of heifers on his farm in Shelby County with his wife Jennifer and their three children.  Knouff is a board member of the Ohio Soybean Council and active in the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

Knouff hopes to emphasize the importance of transportation to the soybean industry.

"It is not enough for farmers to increase production, and it is not enough to increase demand for soybeans among our domestic and international customers,” Knouff says.  “We need to have a quality transportation system that connects the two.  As Vice Chairman of the Soy Transportation Coalition, I hope to be involved in promoting the necessary investments in roads, bridges, railroads, interior waterways and ports that will enable the soybean industry to remain competitive in the years to come."

Jerry Wyse of Haven, Kansas, was elected Secretary-Treasurer.  Wyse has been a member of the Kansas Soybean Commission Board since 1996 and recently was chairman for the North Central Soybean Research Program.  For the past 25 years, Wyse has owned and managed Kauffman Seeds, Inc. in Haven, Kansas.  Jerry and his wife, Lois, have two daughters and five grandchildren. 

"As agriculture becomes more of a global industry, our logistics chain becomes more and more critical," Wyse says.  "I look forward to working with the Soy Transportation Coalition to make sure our transportation system is keeping pace with an expanding agriculture industry."