Denise Scarborough, a farmer from LaPorte County, was recently re-elected as chair of the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA), the state’s soybean checkoff program.
Scarborough and her husband, Mark, grow soybeans, commercial corn, seed corn and wheat on their farm near La Crosse, Ind. She has represented northwestern Indiana District 1 on the ISA board since 2017. Scarborough works off the farm as a loan officer at the First National Bank of Monterey, and she is involved in the family excavation business.
Brian Warpup, a farmer from Warren, Ind., was elected as ISA’s vice chair. In 2025, he served as the chair of the board’s Membership and Policy Committee. Warpup is an elected member of the Huntington County Council. He represents District 2 in northeastern Indiana on the ISA board. Warpup grows soybeans and corn on his farm in rural Huntington and Wells counties.
Allen Buchanan, a farmer from Fowler, Ind., was re-elected as the board’s secretary. He earned a bachelor’s degree in farm management from Purdue, and he has represented ISA on Purdue’s Phenomics Advisory Board. A full-time farmer since 1997, Buchanan grows soybeans and corn on his farm in Benton and Warren counties and represents District 1 on the ISA board.
Elected as treasurer is Larry Rusch, a full-time farmer, who grows soybeans and corn on his farm near Vincennes, Ind. He began farming in 1991. He earned degrees from Vincennes University and Western Kentucky University. Rusch represents District 3 in southwestern Indiana on the ISA board. He is a certified crop consultant and has been on the ISA board since 2023.
Developing overseas markets, creating new products and promoting better growing practices are a few of ISA’s goals for 2026.
“As the state’s soybean checkoff representing thousands of Indiana farmers, our challenge is to make Indiana soybeans more valuable both locally and globally,” Scarborough said. “Locally we do this by encouraging and investing in programs such as high oleic soybeans that pay farmers a premium for the crop. Globally, we partner with international groups to find buyers for our soybeans all over the world. I’m looking forward to continuing that mission.”
Elected committee leaders
The new chair of ISA’s Membership and Policy Committee is David Hardin of Avon, Ind. A full-time farmer since 2000, he grows soybeans, corn and wheat and has a swine finishing operation on his farm in Hendricks and Putnam counties. Hardin earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University. He represents southeastern Indiana District 4 on the ISA board.
The Membership and Policy Committee advocates for pro-farmer policies at the local, state and federal government level. This committee does not use checkoff funds to operate, and it relies on membership dues and sponsorship of events.
Jenna Scott, a farmer from Gaston, Ind., was re-elected as the chair of the Sustainability and Value Creation Committee. Scott has represented District 2 since 2023. In a partnership with her father, Greg Cox, she grows soybeans, corn and vegetable transplants on her farm in Delaware County. She grows 52 million vegetable transplants for Midwest Fresh Market farmers. Scott is 2006 Purdue University graduate.
The Sustainability and Value Creation Committee focuses on on-farm research, consumer outreach, and new value-added products.
Elected as chair of the Market Development Committee is Chris Eck, a farmer from Boggstown, Ind., and he represents District 4 on the board. He grows soybeans, seed corn, corn and wheat on his farm in rural Shelby County. A full-time farmer, Eck began farming in 1988. In addition to farming, he also operates trucking, custom application and detasseling businesses. Eck earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University.
The Market Development Committee works to expand export opportunities and increase the value of Indiana’s soybean crop.
Three new ISA directors join
Joining the ISA board for 2026 are Russell Guse of Wanatah, Ind., representing District 1; David Ring of Huntingburg, Ind., representing District 3; and Donald Schnitker of Seymour, Ind., from District 4.
John Peters of Monticello, Ind., was elected to a second term in District 1, which includes Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Lake, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Tipton, Wabash and White counties.
Guse grows corn and soybeans along with strawberries on his farm in LaPorte, Porter and Starke counties. He also has beef cattle. A full-time farmer since 1998, he is also a crop duster pilot. Guse has earned an associate’s degree from Purdue University. He is also a director for the Kankakee Valley REMC.
In District 3, in addition to Ring, Larry Rusch was elected to a second term. This southwestern Indiana district includes the counties of Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Montgomery, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Spencer, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren and Warrick.
Ring grows soybeans, corn, hay and wheat on his farm in Dubois, Pike, Spencer and Warrick counties. A retired ag teacher, he also raises turkeys for Farbest Foods in Huntingburg, Ind. Ring recently completed three, three-year terms on the Indiana Corn Marketing Council. He has a bachelor’s degree from Oakland City University and a master’s from Evansville University.
In District 4, along with Schnitker, Kevin Burbrink of Seymour, Ind., was re-elected to a third, three-year term on the ISA board. District 4 includes the counties of Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union and Washington.
Schnitker grows soybeans and corn on his farm in rural Jackson County. A full-time farmer since 1977, he is also a part-time meat cutter. Though new to ISA, Schnitker has served in many organizations including the Hamilton Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Community of Jackson County and the Premier Ag Board of Directors.
In District 2, Jenna Scott and Mark Wenning, a farmer from Cambridge City, Ind., were each re-elected to second terms. District 2 includes Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Huntington, Jay, LaGrange, Madison, Noble, Randolph, Steuben, Wayne, Wells and Whitley counties.
Source: Indiana Soybean Alliance
