Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare, who farms with her husband in west central Illinois, just joined the board of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) about a year ago to represent the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and she has already learned a great deal.

“I still feel a little bit like a newbie,” Roberta says. “It’s very interesting to learn what USFRA is doing to better educate the public about where our food comes from.” Among the USFRA programs Roberta finds most effective are the Food Dialogues and the FARMLAND movie educational materials.

As a district director on the ISA board, Roberta has been pleased to see how their affiliation with USFRA fits in with ISA’s strategic goals. “There are three main areas we are focusing on this year for our strategic plan – marketplace, farmer profitability and stakeholder value,” she said, noting that USFRA falls in the stakeholder value category. “Under the stakeholder value, it’s helping us to expand the influence and reach of ISA through advocacy efforts that will positively impact the Illinois soybean farmer.”

Listen to my interview with Roberta here: Interview with Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare, Illinois Soybean

You can listen to all of our I AM USFRA interviews here.