New Year. New Projects. New Impacts.

By Ainsley Peterson

As we enter the new fiscal year, the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is gearing up with a robust list of new and continuing projects that will be carried out by the board and staff members.

In July, a new Board of Directors was elected with Ron Kindred as Chairman. ISA will continue to focus in the areas of Government Relations, Market Development, and Soybean Production in which the committees and teams of ISA will work towards a bright future with sustainability and farmer profitability at the center of their efforts.

“With new leadership and projects in place for FY24, ISA will be entering a new chapter of inno- vation, education and relationship building,” says ISA CEO, John Lumpe. “Our volunteer farmer board is excited to elevate the opportunities on behalf of Illinois soybean farmers!”

ISA will continue to focus on Government Relations, Market Development, and Soybean Production, in which the committees and teams of ISA will work towards a bright future with sustainability and farmer profitability at the center of their efforts.

This year, the Government Relations Committee will be led by committee chair, Steve Pitstick. The department will be continuing many of their projects from the previous fiscal year in addition to adding some new ones. One such project that is being carried out by the Government Relations team is that of working with the Motion Agency out of Chicago to develop a unique educational campaign targeted at Illinois state legislators with a focus on the role that farmers play as stewards of the environment. The campaign will help tell the positive stories of agriculture and as well as their efforts to reduce inputs in their operations. Additionally, the campaign will highlight what farmers need to maintain their family farms and show how adding new practices comes with both opportunities and challenges.

In FY24, the Government Relations Committee is also engaging deeper in outreach and relationship building across Illinois. “This includes efforts to build relationships with legislators, legislative staff, regulators, industry, farmers, and grower members,” says Andrew Larson, ISA Director of Government Relations & Strategy. “The stronger the lines of communication are between these groups the more impact and input farmers can have on issues that affect their farms.”

The Market Development Committee Chairman is Brian Atteberry. The staff for Market Development is set to triple in size, and the team is looking toward projects, such as the Soy Innovation Center and collaboration with Soy Excellence Centers all over the world. Moreover, a new project that the committee will be working on is the Southeast Asia U.S. Soy Business Development Conference in which the goal will be to connect in-country end users with U.S. suppliers, exporters, and producers to promote the advantages of U.S. soy in both the food and feed sectors of the market and the advantages that it can provide.

The Market Development team will be utilizing these projects to continue to expand Illinois soybeans into new markets. “We are really excited to see what the Market Development team accomplishes this year,” says Todd Main, Director of Market Development for ISA. “We are expanding the team by hiring three people up in Lombard and one in the Bloomington office. With a bigger team and projects like the Soy Innovation Center and others, it should be a big year.”

The Soybean Production Committee will be led by Brady Holst as the committee chair. The committee and Agronomy staff members will be advancing projects in the areas of outreach, research, partnerships, agronomic trials, and more. Outreach will continue to include field days, Shop Talk, Better Beans, and other channels and events. The department will also continue to delve into research with the University of Illinois, the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP), and others. Moreover, partnerships will be key to success in this upcoming fiscal year and the team will engage in field trials to advance soybean production and profitability.

A new project that the team is very excited about is their demonstration fields. These fields will be on display across the state and most notably at the Farm Progress Show. This will allow the team to showcase management practices and have hands-on experience when it comes to assisting farmers in their own fields.

“Having information directly relayed from demonstration sites and field trials across the state will help elevate management tools that can be used on the farm,” says ISA Director of Agronomy, Abigail Peterson. “The collaborations we have with agronomists, scientists and farmers bring together not only quality data and research but also practical applications that make a positive difference towards economics and land stewardship. We hope to connect Illinois experts and researchers' non-biased agronomic information to the famer to help make decisions on the farm now.”

New demonstration fields across the state will allow ISA's Agronomy team to showcase management practices and have hands-on experience when it comes to assisting farmers in their own fields.

The Communications team will be led by ISA Director of Marketing Communications, Michael Whitmer. The team will communicate the work being done with these projects through multiple channels. This includes publication of the monthly Illinois Field and Bean magazine, the Illinois 20 under 40 program, the “We Are the 96%” Illinois Farm Families campaign, and a robust corporate partners program.

With a strong lineup of projects, ISA is ready to make new impacts in the upcoming fiscal year!