Illinois Farmer and Past ICGA President, Bill Leigh, is Elected to Serve As NCGA’s First Vice President


By Lyndi Allen June 10, 2026

The National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) board elected Bill Leigh, of Minonk, Ill., today as the organization's next first vice president, putting him on track to become board president on October 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 Marshall County, 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. Bill went to Toluca High School and graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.


Bill Leigh served as the 2020 IL Corn Growers Association (ICGA) President. Currently, Leigh is serving on the IL Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) representing District 4.


Check out more!

Bill Leigh’s Biography

IL Corn TV interview


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