All North Carolina soybean growers who are assessed by the soybean checkoff are members of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association with NO requirement to pay annual dues. All members are entitled to vote at membership meetings and choose their representation on the state soybean board. Members approve the annual resolutions that establish the policies and policy objectives of the membership and the board.
Policy and Membership Activities of the association are paid for with non-checkoff funds. No checkoff funds are utilized for policy activities.
The North Carolina Soybean Producers Association was the first state soybean board in the nation to combine the functions of checkoff-funded research and promotion activities and non-checkoff funded grassroots policy advocacy. Both functions are accomplished separately by the association under the governance of one combined board. This model has functioned well in North Carolina since the creation of the national soybean checkoff in 1991 and the prohibition on using soybean checkoff dollars to influence policy.
The association voices the recommendations developed by its board of directors and approved at the Annual Membership Meeting. The association strives to protect and support the legitimate interests of North Carolina’s soybean producers through the influence of government policies at local, state and national levels.
In addition, the association is the state affiliate of the American Soybean Association (ASA) in North Carolina. Delegates from the association participate in national policy development through the ASA resolutions process.
New in 2016, the NC Soy Alliance is a voluntary, dues-paying annual membership alternative for growers committed to advocacy and farm-friendly governmental policy. Through this program of the soybean association, growers receive their complementary membership to ASA. The motto of the NC Soy Alliance is “alliance is the core of advocacy.” This means that our state and national soy organizations commit to partnering together for the best policy outcomes for farmers.