The Pope County Corn and Soybean Growers held their annual meeting in March. Keynote speaker Tim Sullivan of Farm Rescue addressed the crowd, speaking to the importance of Farm Rescue’s mission – to help family farms and ranches bridge crises so they have an opportunity to continue viable operations.

After the meeting, Pope County Corn and Soybean Growers presented Sullivan and Farm Rescue with a $1,000 donation using checkoff dollars.

“We are proud to be able to donate to organizations with important missions such as Farm Rescue,” said Board Chairman Paul Freeman, who’s also a director with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council. “Using checkoff dollars to give back to our communities is what makes our organization impactful.”

Farm Rescue provides planting, haying, harvesting and livestock feeding assistance to farm and ranch families that have experienced a major injury, illness or natural disaster. Since their founding in 2005, Farm Rescue has helped over 800 farm and ranch families.

This summer, the Pope County Corn and Soybean Growers and their checkoffs will continue to give back to their community with a promotion that “is good for the soul,” said Freeman. “We are excited to recognize the good souls in our local communities.” The campaign, which begins in May, will feature a statewide promotion of soy-based Skechers shoes.

The Pope County Corn and Soybean Growers Organization is affiliated with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, which oversees the investment of soybean checkoff dollars on behalf of nearly 28,000 soybean farmers in Minnesota. The Council is governed by the rules of a federally mandated checkoff program that requires all soybean producers pay a fee on the soybeans they sell. This money is used to promote, educate and develop market opportunities for soybeans.