Eastern Region Soybean Board Funds Research Projects to Support Growers West Virginia farmer appointed as new board chair
HARRISBURG, PA (February 9, 2021) -Nick Kercheval, a soybean farmer from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, has been appointed to chair the Eastern Region Soybean Board. The farmer/leaders who serve on the Board administer the soybean checkoff on behalf of soybean growers in West Virginia, Florida, and the New England states. Kercheval also represents the Eastern Region as one of the 78 directors of the national United Soybean Board.
Checkoff funds are used for implementing research, promotion, consumer information, and industry information designed to strengthen the soybean industry’s position in the marketplace. Funds are also used to maintain and expand existing domestic and foreign markets and to develop new markets and uses for soybeans and soybean products.
At their February meeting, the Board awarded grants to two universities for research projects designed to provide reliable production data to soybean growers.
Dr. David Wright of the University of Florida received a $20,000 grant to continue a two-year study on cover crops that demonstrate improved productivity, reduced weed pressure, mediated soil organic matter and improved soil health.
Dr. Heather Darby of the University of Vermont was awarded a $26,000 grant. Her research focuses on developing sustainable soybean production practices and seed varieties that maximize yield and enhance environmental stewardship specific to the challenges of growing soybeans in northern climates.
About the Eastern Region Soybean Board
The Eastern Region Soybean Board is a farmer-controlled Board responsible for managing funds received from the nationwide Soybean Checkoff program. Soybean farmers from Florida, West Virginia, and New England contribute to the Eastern Region Soybean Board. The Eastern Region shares an Executive Director with the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.
The funding is available under an assessment program, approved by Congress in 1990, under which soybean farmers contribute 50 cents of every $100 they receive for their beans at the first point of sale. Funds are used to develop markets, educate consumers, and research new ways to utilize and produce soybeans more efficiently. For more information, go to www.easternregionsoy.org.
