This column by MSGA President Darin Johnson first appeared in the July-August 2025 issue of Soybean Business. Click here to read the digital issue. 

As I look back on my first year as president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, there is one prevailing word that comes to mind: uncertainty.

In this day and age, it seems like the word gets thrown around a lot, but in interviews with media and in meetings with policy leaders, I often leaned on “uncertainty” to describe the tariff situation and policies in Washington, D.C. The uncertainty also hit the Minnesota Legislature, which started this year without really knowing who was even in charge of the House. It’s been an interesting first half of 2025 to say the least, and the fluid nature of politics – and farming, of course – really forced us to take on some different approaches.

While it took a special session to wrap up the biennial budget in St. Paul, I was pleased to see bipartisan politics coming through this year in the agriculture bill, which was signed into law well before the special session. Despite the unique situation this year with both parties sharing power, legislators put aside their differences and worked across the aisle for the betterment of Minnesota agriculture. They met the moment, and while there wasn’t a lot of excitement to any of the bills, in the end we avoided a government shutdown; it seems as if our voice is still being heard in St. Paul. Compromise means not getting everything you seek – but also preventing worst-case scenarios from coming to pass.

Darin Johnson (second to left) enters his second term as MSGA president.

At the federal level, it’s a bit more of an uphill battle. But in mid-July, I’m excited to join my MSGA and American Soybean Association (ASA) colleagues to tour Capitol Hill for ASA’s Hill Visits in D.C. We’re going to continue to beat the drum to Congress on the importance of a farm bill, because we need protections in place to support those who provide fuel, food and fiber for the entire world. We also will be having a serious discussion about the MAHA Commission report, during which we’ll stress the importance of using sound science to determine policy, along with the proven health benefits of seed oils. Throughout our visits, we’ll urge our lawmakers to make sure the information they are receiving is correct and unbiased when it comes to our farming practices and the real data behind seed oils.

I am humbled and honored to be reelected MSGA president by my peers. As I begin my second term, I’m certain of this: It’s a privilege to represent Minnesota’s 26,000 soybean farmers. MSGA is a grassroots organization, and the impact we make starts with farmers and our county soybean organizations. It’s because of you that we have a voice in St. Paul and Washington, D.C.

I want to salute the rest of the MSGA officer team. We’re a younger group, which I feel helps provide some interesting dynamics and perspectives to the team, but none of us would be here without the great leadership and mentors who have led us to where we’re at now. I’m also grateful for our entire board of directors, who are always full of information and enthusiasm and have helped me along the way with their wisdom and experience. We have a great team and I’m certainly looking forward to working alongside them for another year.

While the Minnesota Legislature is on break until next February, MSGA continues to promote and protect our industry, while our partners at the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council are working around the world – and here at home – to build relationships, foster leadership, grow markets, conduct agronomic research and increase our bottom lines through wise checkoff investments. That, my friends, should bring us all a great deal of much-needed certainty in the months ahead