Illinois Commodity Boards To Elect New Members

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Farmers who would like to run for a three-year term on the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Soybean Program Operating Board or Illinois Sheep and Wool Marketing Board now can pick-up and start circulating nominating petitions.

"These boards fund research and promotions that create markets for their industry," Illinois Agriculture Director Tom Jennings said.  "I encourage producers who would like a voice in these important decisions to pass a petition and gather the required number of signatures to get their name on the election ballot."
 
Farmers can obtain petitions from either their county Extension office or the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The deadline to complete and return them is May 15 for corn and soybean board candidates and May 31 for sheep and wool board candidates.

To be eligible to run, farmers must be at least 18 years old, have produced and marketed the pertinent commodity during the 2008 commodity year, reside in the district to be represented and have submitted a valid petition by the filing deadline. 
 
Elections for all three boards will be held July 7. For more information, call the Illinois Department of Agriculture at (217) 782-6675 or write to: Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Marketing and Promotion, P.O. Box 19281, State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill., 62794-9281.

 A list of counties holding commodity elections follows:

CORN MARKETING BOARD

District 2: Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Carroll and Ogle counties

District 5: LaSalle, Grundy, Livingston and Kankakee counties

District 8: Peoria, Tazewell, Fulton, Mason, Cass, Menard and Logan counties

District 11: Christian, Montgomery, Shelby, Fayette and Effingham counties

District 14: Madison, Bond, St. Clair, Clinton, Monroe and Washington counties

SOYBEAN PROGRAM OPERATING BOARD

District 2: McHenry, Lake, Kane, Cook, Du Page, Will and Kankakee counties
              
District 10: DeWitt, Macon, Christian, Moultrie and Shelby counties        

District 11: Piatt, Champaign, Douglas, Edgar and Coles counties

District 14:  Cumberland, Clark, Effingham, Jasper and Crawford counties

District 16: Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Wayne, Edwards, White and Wabash counties

District 17: Randolph, Washington, Jefferson, Perry and Jackson counties

SHEEP AND WOOL MARKETING BOARD

District 2: Kendall, Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Livingston, Ford, Iroquois, Champaign, Vermilion, Piatt, Douglas, Edgar, Coles, Cumberland and Clark counties

District 5: Adams, Schuyler, Brown, Cass, Pike, Scott, Morgan, Calhoun, Greene, Jersey and Macoupin counties