The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) will celebrate a fellow Minnesota farmer at the 2020 Commodity Classic in San Antonio. On Friday, the Council will host a reception for Worthington farmer Bill Gordon, who was appointed president of the American Soybean Association in December 2019.
“Many of us in the Minnesota agriculture community have known Bill for years, and are proud to call him a friend,” says MSR&PC Chair Cole Trebesch. “We’re excited to watch him rise to the top of ASA, and we’re looking forward to celebrating Bill’s presidency at Commodity Classic.”
Gordon is the sixth Minnesota to serve as ASA president. His term coincides with ASA’s 100th anniversary; Gordon’s fourth generation farm in Nobles County also celebrates a century of operation. Gordon started his agricultural leadership career in 2004 as an ASA Young Leader, later becoming vice president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA). During his seven years on the ASA board, Gordon has delved into public affairs, biodiesel and transportation issues, environmental stewardship and international marketing. In 2019, he represented ASA and Minnesota farmers on international trade missions to Southeast Asia and South America.
During his first two months as ASA president, Gordon appeared in White House ceremonies in January commemorating the signing of the U.S.- China “Phase One” trade deal and the passage of USMCA.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do and the (2020) election is going to influence the next four years, at least,” Gordon says. “Hopefully we can get some legislation passed. If I can at the end of my term, tell farmers, ‘We got these things done to improve your profitability,’ then I think I’ll be very happy.”
Gordon, his wife, Dr. Dawn Gordon, and his parents, Galen and Colleen, grow corn and soybeans on their 2,000-acre family farm; an additional 400 acres are set aside for buffer strips and wetlands. In 2019, the Gordons were named Nobles County’s 2019 “Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota. Gordon is the owner of Worthington Tax and Business service, and also serves on the Nobles County Corn and Soybean Growers Board and is a board director for a mutual insurance company. Bill and Dawn are avid scuba divers and raise four children: Luke, Lance, Anna and Liam.
Arkansas farmer Jim Carroll, who serves as chair of the United Soybean Board, will also be honored during the reception.
