Petitions are available for growers interested in running for open director positions with the Illinois Soybean Board. Petitions can be obtained from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, local University of Illinois Extension offices and the ISA office. Petitions must be filed by May 15, 2016.

Six Illinois districts will hold director elections this year:

District 3: Henderson, Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, Stark, Warren, Whiteside

District 4: Bureau, Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle

District 6: Livingston, McLean, Woodford

District 8: Adams, Brown, Hancock, McDonough, Schuyler

District 15: Clinton, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair

SEEKING DIRECTORS: Petitions for the Illinois Soybean Board District Director positions are due by May 15, 2015.

District 18: Alexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Williamson.

Due to the tenure provision, as specified in the soybean checkoff program, the directors in District 6 (Rob Shaffer, El Paso), and District 18 (Bill Raben, Ridgway) are not eligible for re-election. The directors presently serving in District 3 (John Longley, Aledo), District 4 (Sharon Covert, Tiskilwa), District 8 (Dale Asher, Sutter) and District 15 (Daryl Cates, Columbia) are each eligible to serve another three-year term.

To be eligible to serve as a director, a candidate must be an Illinois resident and a resident grower of the district he or she seeks to represent, of legal voting age and be a contributor to the soybean checkoff. Petitions filed with the Illinois Director of Agriculture must contain signatures of at least five percent of the soybean growers from the district.