by Marlee Moore, Alabama Farmers Federation
Annie Dee
Pickens County farmer Annie Dee was recently selected to serve on the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) Advisory Board, where she fills a pivotal role connecting U.S. farmers to the international development community.
Dee is a partner in Dee River Ranch near Aliceville, a family-owned and -operated 10,000-acre diversified farm. Dee said she knows U.S. soybean farmers can help solve global poverty, food security and economic stability through SIL’s goals of building profitable, resilient and food-secure smallholder farming communities worldwide.
Dee joins nine other members representing diverse backgrounds with experience in international agricultural development, humanitarian work, higher education, agricultural research and institutional capacity building.
A member of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s State Soybean Committee, Dee was Alabama’s 2013 Farm of Distinction winner and serves on the United Soybean Board (USB).
She said she plans to leverage communication and advocacy platforms gleaned through USB to further the message, impact and reach of SIL’s international agricultural development objectives.
Dee participates in Harvesting the Potential, a Howard G. Buffett Foundation program designed to promote conservation, no-till farming and cover crops. Dee serves as a Soil Health Champion with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and is a member of Invest an Acre. She also received the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Excellence in Conservation Award and the Alabama Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award for Soil Conservationist of the Year.
The SIL is the United States Agency for International Development’s only comprehensive program dedicated to soybean research for development. SIL is building a foundation for soybean production in Africa by developing the knowledge, innovation and technologies to enable successful soybean production.
For more information, visit soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu or contact soybeaninnovationlab@illinois.edu.
See more on AlfaFarmers.org.