Bell Tower of Fame winner navigating international markets for U.S. soybeans for three decades
The 2015 Bell Tower of Fame Award recipient, Roy Bardole of Rippey, has been considered a leader in international market development for U.S. soy across three decades and four organizations.
The Bell Tower of Fame Award is presented annually to a person who during some part of his or her life lived in Greene County and has received international, national or state recognition for professional and/or civic efforts, thus bringing great pride to Greene County.
Bardole’s leadership in the soy world began with the Iowa Soybean Association as a director in 1984 and president in 1990. A year later Bardole was elected to the board of directors of the American Soybean Association, the national policy organization serving the United State’s 500,000 soybean farmers. He moved into leadership positions as secretary and then as vice president.
Kirk Leeds, Iowa Soybean Association CEO said, “Bardole played a critical role in the 1990 and 1995 Farm Bills as a tireless advocate for creating a more level playing field for soybeans in US agriculture. As a direct result of these efforts, Iowa and the United States enjoyed a significant expansion in soybean acres and soybean production in the 1990s.”
In 2002, Bardole was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the United Soybean Board, the national soybean checkoff organization. In this role, he joined farmers from across the nation in investing farmer dollars in research, domestic marketing, new use creation and international marketing. Bardole was a strong voice for making sure that the national checkoff board never lost its focus on the individual farmers who were investing in the checkoff program.
In 2009, Bardole was elected to the board of directors of the United States Soybean Export Council, the industry organization directly responsible for the expansion of US soybean exports around the world. In 2010, he was elected chairman of the board and served for two years.
He became chairman at a time of great turmoil in the organization, when some were uncertain whether the organization would survive. According to soy world officials, Bardole’s leadership was instrumental in leading the council through the turbulent waters and launching it to even greater successes in the last few years, with soybean exports setting new records every year.
Jim Hershey, executive director of the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health said, “Through the many years of Roy’s international service, he was a leader at all points in the soy market development continuum, helping the U.S. achieve record soybean export levels, working in long term market development in newer markets and even soy based philanthropy, working to reduce malnutrition through the power of soy with the World Soy Foundation.”
While on the United Soybean Board, Bardole’s involvement with the Smithsonian Institution resulted in a life-size photo of him and his use of GPS equipment as part of the institution’s National Air and Space Museum’s “Time and Navigation” exhibit.
Bardole graduated from Iowa State University in farm operations. He and his wife Phyllis were named one of Wallaces Farmer magazine’s 2014 Master Farmers.
The couple resides near Rippey on a Century farm. They have three sons, Tim, Peter, and Jason.
Bardole will be presented his award at the Bell Tower Festival’s opening ceremonies on the Tower Plaza this Friday, June 12, at 7 pm. A public reception for him will be held in the rotunda of the Greene County courthouse following the ceremony until 8:30 pm.
He will be grand marshal of the Bell Tower Festival parade on Saturday, June 13.
