The National Corn Growers Association’s board elected Bill Leigh, of Minonk, Illinois, on June 10, as the organization’s next first vice president, putting him on track to become board president on Oct. 1, 2027.
His term as first vice president begins in October, the beginning of NCGA’s new fiscal year.
“Being elected to this role by my peers is the honor of a lifetime,” Leigh said. “I look forward to working alongside dedicated grower leaders and staff as we advocate for issues that are critical to the success of farmers, specifically growing and expanding demand for corn. Corn grower engagement is needed now more than ever, and I am thrilled that I will be serving on the front lines of these efforts.”
Leigh is a sixth-generation farmer who grows corn and soybeans in North-Central Illinois on his 150-year-old-family farm. He and his wife, Debbie, have two sons, James, an engineer, and Christopher, who returned to the farm from service in the U.S. military.
At the national level, Leigh chairs the Governance Committee and serves as NCGA’s 2028 co-chair on the Commodity Classic Management Committee.
Previously, he has chaired the Risk Management and Transportation Action Team and served on the Ethanol Action Team and NCGA’s COVID task force. He also participated in Corn Vision 2020.
At the state level, Leigh is a past president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association, where he chaired industrial, export and grassroots committees. He was elected to the Illinois Corn Marketing Board in 2023.
