Member Profile: Bryan Severs

Illinois farmer brings farm-fresh perspective to SSGA

On paper, Bryan Severs seems like your typical third-generation Illinois farmer, raising corn and soybeans in the heart of the Land of Lincoln alongside his sons Michael and Nicholas. But dig deeper behind that hearty southern accent and you’ll find a global thinker and leader.

Severs, a grower of food-grade non-GMO soybeans, joined the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) Board of Directors in February 2024 after hosting a group of foreign buyers on his farm as part of SSGA’s Fork to Farm Day.

“I hosted the tour through my involvement with the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and during that event I saw the passion that the SSGA staff and board members had, and it made me want to be a part of that group as well,” said Severs, who currently serves on ISA as soybean production chairman.

Sitting on a board made up mostly of specialty grains buyers and sellers, Severs hopes his experience as a grower can provide a unique perspective to the SSGA team.

“As it pertains to identity preservation (IP), I can provide a first-hand perspective to those end users about what I’m doing to maintain the quality of the crop that they’re purchasing,” said Severs. “I believe that different way of thinking is of value to the SSGA board and our members.”

But Severs doesn’t just value the quality and cleanliness of his soybeans, he cares deeply about the soil and the environment that they’re grown in. He notes that he’s adopted practices such as cover crops and strip-tilling so that his grandkids and their kids have the best opportunity to farm the same soil.

“I want to do the right thing and do my part to keep the dirt around for the next couple of generations,” said Severs. “Conservation also plays a big role in how we sell to our buyers. They like to know that we’re doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint, to use less fuel and that our farming practices are sustainable.”

Having only served on the SSGA board of directors for less than a year, Severs has had a lot on his plate already, including taking part in a trade mission in August to the Philippines and being involved in the search of their new Executive Director, Randy Duckworth, who begins in January. In the year ahead, Severs, who currently serves as SSGA vice chair, is excited to contribute to the organization’s programs.

“U.S. Identity Preserved really sparks my interest, trying to take the commodity all the way from me as a farmer to the buyers and having that traceability throughout the supply chain so that they feel safe about how their food was handled,” said Severs. “Transportation is a key project as well. We need to try to find a way to make the Great Lakes work for us because that’s a major port for us here in east-central Illinois.”