(Radio Iowa) – After ten years, Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill is stepping down as head of the state’s largest agricultural organization. Hill’s successor will be chosen as Farm Bureau members meet in Des Moines starting today (Tuesday) for their annual state conference. Matt Schuiteman of Sioux County, district director for northwest Iowa, says three names will be on the ballot. “Joe Heinrich, who is the current vice president, is from Jackson County over in far eastern Iowa,” Schuiteman says. “Then there’s Brent Johnson who is from near Manson in Calhoun County, and Tim Kaldenberg is also running. He’s from southern Iowa in Monroe County near Albia. Each one of them would be a fine choice.”

Schuiteman says it may take more than one vote to determine the next Iowa Farm Bureau president.”It’s hard to say. It very well could take a couple of votes just because there’s three guys running so typically, in that situation, somebody needs to get over 50% and a lot of times when you have three people running, that doesn’t happen the first time,” he says, “not to say that it’s going to be contentious at any point.” Schuiteman says Farm Bureau members won’t be establishing any new planks in the platform during the conference.  “We’re not going to work on establishing any policy in this meeting,” he says. “In terms of the delegate body, there’s more internal things that we take care of that are pertinent to the organization.”

This year’s theme for the state conference is “Our Farms, Our Future.”