AUDIO: Lisa Chaudion, Indiana FFA Foundation
The Indiana Soybean Alliance is giving FFA members a firsthand look at innovation with a donation of soy-based Goodyear tires.
Lisa Chaudion, Indiana FFA Foundation executive director, says it helps support the organization’s travel needs and highlights new uses for the commodity.
“It’s not just about the food production and what’s happening with those products, but also about the innovation that’s happening,” she says. “State officers put anywhere from 15 to 20 to 25,000 miles on their vehicles. We’re now able to run around on these tires and know the work that Indiana farmers put into it.”
David Ring, Dubois County farmer and former Southridge High School FFA advisor, says increasing demand remains critical.
“We need all of the new markets we can get,” he says. “The more markets, the better. Obviously, we’re really struggling right now with finding demand for our supplies, so anything we can use, that will help us.”
Ring says the program highlights how farmer checkoff investments continue to drive innovation and can make a lasting community impact.
Goodyear has partnered with the United Soybean Board to replace all of its petroleum-based tires by 2040.
