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United Soybean Board’s CEO, Polly Ruhland, Joins FFAR Board of Directors

Washington

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is pleased to announce that Polly Ruhland, chief executive officer (CEO) at United Soybean Board, is joining the FFAR Board of Directors.

Mark E. Keenum
Polly’s experience building domestic and global markets, unifying the commodity supply chain and forming partnerships with national and state organizations will greatly benefit the Foundation. We are excited to welcome Polly to the board and deploy her expertise to advance food and agriculture research. Mark E. Keenum, Ph.D.
Chair, FFAR Board of Directors
President
Mississippi State University

Ruhland joined United Soybean Board as CEO in 2017. In this role, she oversees strategic vision of the United Soybean Board and plays a pivotal role in the soybean community at-large. Applying her experience in agricultural nonprofit management, strategic planning, communications and regulatory compliance, Ruhland advances agriculture sustainability through farmer-funded research, education and promotion programs.

Polly Ruhland
FFAR’s mission of employing science to advance U.S. food and agriculture remains critical to feeding people and sustaining farmers through innovative technology advances. I’m pleased to join my fellow board members and to continue to serve U.S. agriculture in this new way. Polly Ruhland
Chief Executive Officer
United Soybean Board

Ruhland previously served as the CEO at Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board, where she stewarded beef farmer and rancher investments in the Beef Checkoff research and promotion program. She also chaired the Commodity Roundtable for Chief Executive Officers of Research and Promotion Programs and has served on several community agricultural land-use boards and as an American Farmland Trust volunteer. Additionally, Ruhland was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship for International Leaders and is a Nuffield Scholar.

Portrait of Saharah Moon Chapotin.
I am thrilled to welcome Polly Ruhland to FFAR’s Board of Directors. Her decades of experience helping U.S. farmers and advancing farmer-funded research and education programs will help FFAR effectively advance its vision of providing everyone access to affordable, nutritious food grown on thriving farms. Saharah Moon Chapotin, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Ruhland received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Colorado, Denver and a master’s degree in agriculture from Colorado State University, where her research focused on agricultural education reform and strategic decision-making processes in agricultural cooperatives.

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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

Connect: @FoundationFAR