The Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) research team is driven to deliver profitable agronomic, conservation and analytics outcomes that contribute to the short and long-term vitality of farmers and communities.
With nearly 40,000 soybean producers across Iowa, ISA’s research team is gearing up for the future recognizing the challenges, needs and opportunities farmers have in their geographic settings.
Professional hockey player Wayne Gretzky once said, “I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” Similarly, the ISA’s research team is building on our past successes and announcing the formation of the ISA Research Center for Farming Innovation.
The new structure more seamlessly integrates our internal On-Farm Network, Environmental Programs and Services and Analytics programs while leveraging external partnerships. This change will further enable farmers to lead in their communities and meet their goals.
We believe our expertise, experience, large data sets and farmer-focused approach place us in a unique position. We will deliver innovative and transformational research, tools and technical assistance at the intersection of cropping systems, conservation and data-driven decision-making. Embracing this holistic approach in developing systems and practices that are more profitable, resilient and sustainable will be keys to our success.
Our vision is to add even more intensity and focus to our work while leveraging the soybean checkoff with more non-checkoff investments. Taking a big picture view of agricultural research, communications and outreach are important.
We intend to further strengthen our partner relationships, notably with Iowa State University (ISU), as well as other universities. There will be strong synergies with the ISU Iowa Soybean Research Center and the Iowa Nutrient Research Center. There will also be more opportunities to work with other state and regional soybean checkoff organizations, the United Soybean Board, other farm and commodity organizations, state and local agencies and companies engaged in seed, crop protection, precision and digital agriculture.
We will collaborate with ag retailers and certified crop advisors for complementary areas of research, staffing, technical assistance and communication coordination. Together, we will broadly accelerate farming advances for profitability and sustainability.