The United Soybean Board (USB) will hold its annual meeting December 10-11, 2008, in St. Louis to evaluate the previous year’s accomplishments and determine progress on soybean checkoff research and promotional programs that began Oct. 1. USB is made up of 68 U.S. soybean farmer-directors who oversee the investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers.

USB’s new officers and executive committee members will also be elected at the meeting. You are invited to come hear from these newly elected officers regarding ideas and plans for leading the checkoff forward.

Also taking place is CONNECTIONS 2008, December 8-9, 2008, which will bring together numerous U.S. soybean industry partners, stakeholders and experts in an effort to identify issues that are critical to plotting U.S. soy’s global positioning strategy for the next 3-5 years.

The two-day gathering includes a keynote address by Steve Sonka, Ph.D., professor emeritus and soybean-industry-endowed chair in agricultural strategy at the University of Illinois. Sonka plans to address major challenges facing U.S. soybean farmers and the rest of the soybean industry. Participants will have the opportunity to actively take part in five different panel discussions as well. These panels include:

* Technology to achieve yield increases

* The U.S. poultry, livestock and aquaculture industries’ ability to operate profitably

* How the United States can remain the preferred supplier of soy for existing and emerging markets

* How to achieve acceptance of soybeans improved through the use of biotechnology in all markets

* How composition changes in U.S. soybeans continue to meet customer needs