4 minute read
Early Wins
There’s something special about being a staff member for a farmer-led organization such as the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA). I find across our departments there’s an extra degree of dedication, an added willingness to go the extra mile. Without exception, members of Team ISA consider their work responsibilities more than just a job. Serving the state’s soybean farmers is our mission and the barometer against which we measure our success.
Because of that focus and dedication, there’s a tendency for each of us to first dive into our own program work area. But each member of the ISA staff recognizes that their area of work touches many other organizations and platforms. Collaboration is instrumental to success. Judging by the early wins we have recorded already in 2024, working with others to amplify our priorities is truly a winning strategy!
We are the No. 1 soybean-producing state, and we work every day to prove it. We are proud of ISA’s marquee role in the soybean scene here in Illinois. But we also know much work is done to further the cause of soybeans beyond our state lines. In that spirit, I had an opportunity during our February board meeting to introduce Lucas Lentsch to Team ISA as the new CEO of the United Soybean Board (USB). With his background in the national dairy checkoff, he is bringing a new, dynamic perspective and renewed energy to national soy checkoff efforts. We have already begun to compose new strategies for enhanced operational efficiency, improved communication and coordinated advancement of our common challenges and opportunities. Along with our collaboration with the American Soybean Association (ASA) on a number of policy priorities, we eagerly anticipate a stronger relationship with USB that will create new opportunities for Illinois soybean farmers on the national stage in research, marketing, and promotion.
Collaboration has also resulted in some early wins a little closer to home. We just wrapped up our Better Beans agronomic event series, hosted by the ISA Agronomy team. That team, along with university researchers and agronomy experts, shared valuable regional insights with attendees. In February, the Agronomy team also hosted our 2024 Soybean Summit. More than 300 farmers, members of the media and ag industry partners joined us for high-energy keynote presentations by Chris Weaver, known as “The Podfather”; ISA’s own Abigail Peterson, CCA; and Stacy Zuber, Ph.D. Breakout sessions covered wide-ranging topics such as, “Soybean Success: No Longer a Secret,” “Fertilizer Outlook and Chemical Supply Chain Update for the 2024 Growing Season,” and “Insect Pests Lurking in Your Soybean Fields.” Other event highlights included a farmer panel and audience Q&A and a student research poster competition.
Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG) hosted their inaugural dinner and annual meeting at the iHotel in Champaign, where ISG members enjoyed presentations from Jonathan Coppess, Greg Webb, Matt Rekeweg and Hector Serrano. Nearly 100 people attended and raised just under $13,000 for the ISA Federal PAC.
Recently, we teamed up with Illinois Central College and area agribusinesses to host the Growing Careers in Ag mentorship program. And we worked with the American Lung Association to celebrate the B20 Club of Illinois’ 10th birthday, during which we also marked the milestone of club member fleets using more than 110 million gallons of biodiesel blends. Both are big wins for Team ISA.
Working with a wide variety of allies, we will continue to use collaboration as the vehicle that drives measurable results. At the core of successful collaboration are trust, expertise and instinctually knowing when to lead and when to support. You can trust Team ISA to continue working to amplify our collective efforts, improve our strengths, and create a unified message that resonates throughout and beyond the soybean industry.
