This year we have six director candidates running for four open board positions.

The two candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to three-year terms. From there, the two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be elected to two-year terms.

But, just as COVID-19 has altered everything about our lives, it’s added a new wrinkle to our director elections. As you may remember, the 2020 annual meeting — at which incumbent directors Dr. Richard Leeper and Steve Roberts were up for re-election — was canceled due to the pandemic. Leeper and Steve Roberts are instead on the ballot this year and if they are elected, they would be the ones serving two-year terms.

Brian Blosser

Brian Blosser and his wife, Brandyn, have been married for 13 years and have three children ­— Asher, 10; Willa, 7; and Eli, 3. Blosser graduated from Owens Community College with a Caterpillar dealer service technician associate degree. He works for Rieth-Riley Construction Company as the Northern Indiana equipment supervisor. Blosser has been a volunteer firefighter for 14 years.  In his spare time, you can find him riding dirt bikes with the kids, wrenching on heavy equipment or digging a pond on the family’s property in Polk Township.

Dr. Richard Leeper

Dr. Richard Leeper is a large and small animal veterinarian in Bourbon. He is a lifetime resident of Marshall County. Leeper graduated from Purdue University with a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1976. He started practicing with Bourbon Veterinary Hospital, which he has owned since 1997. He and his wife, Tracey, have been married for 38 years. They have two sons who manage their Angus beef farm in Walnut Township.

Steve Ringer

Steve Ringer and his wife, Donna, have two children and eight grandchildren. They live in Union Township where they own an 80-acre farm. He is a member of Old Wheels car club and currently serves as vice president of the car club. Ringer is also a member of Tippecanoe Community Church serving on the board of deacons.

Robin Roberts

Robin Roberts and his wife, Kathy, have been married 35 years. They have two children, Mark and Lynda. Roberts farms 1,100 acres near Plymouth in Center Township with over 600 acres under irrigation. He is a board and leadership team member at Plymouth Missionary Church. He graduated from Purdue in 1988 with a mechanical engineering degree and worked in machine design at Toro Wheel Horse in South Bend and Flexaust Hose in Warsaw. Roberts is a Farm Bureau board member and lifetime Marshall County resident. 

Steve Roberts

Steve Roberts and his wife, Barb, have been married for 43 years and have two children and four grandchildren. He and his wife attend WCC Church of Warsaw. Roberts is a lifetime resident of the Bourbon area where he has farmed for more than 44 years. He is a part owner of MSD Pork, a concentrated animal feeding operation, located in Walnut Township.

Ryan Sieber

Ryan Sieber and his wife, Denise, have been married 20 years. They have two children — one attending Purdue University and the other attending Culver Community Schools. They have been hosting exchange students from other countries for the past eight years. Sieber has served on Marshall County Extension Board, Marshall County Leadership Steering Committee and Culver Community School Board. He is active with the Culver Young Farmers and Marshall County 4-H Fair. Sieber is employed at Co-Alliance LLP in Argos as the agronomy location manager. The Siebers reside in Union Township.