WASHINGTON, DC, US — The American Soybean Association (ASA) has selected Ariel Wiegard as its fifth addition to its policy team.

Wiegard will join the Washington, DC, US, team as a director leading the portfolio for conservation, precision agriculture, nutrition, and other issues of importance to soy.

“We were impressed with her enthusiasm and the depth of experience she will be able to employ here at ASA,” said Christy Seyfert, executive director of government affairs at the ASA. “Ariel is accustomed to successfully telling the story of agriculture — across a broad number of topics vital to soy growers — and will be a great team addition.”

Wiegard brings conservation and agriculture experience to the role, having most recently worked as federal government relations lead for Syngenta, where she has been since 2018. Before Syngenta, she was director for the Center for Agriculture & Private Lands with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Wiegard has worked on climate policy, endangered species regulation and other key conservation and agriculture technology issues, including water quality, precision planting, rural broadband and 5G.

She attended the University of Virginia for college and Vermont Law School’s master’s program for environmental law and policy focusing on agriculture and food systems.

Wiegard joins Seyfert (farm policy), Kyle Kunkler (biotechnology and crop protection), Alexa Combelic (biodiesel, transportation and infrastructure, sustainability), and Virginia Houston (trade, food aid, livestock).