Next-Gen Illinois Farmers
APRIL 2025 | VOLUME 5, ISSUE 6
TikTok sensation Jackson Laux, age 9, partners with John Deere to inspire agriculture's future.
By IL Field & Bean Team
From cutting-edge research to hands-on support, discover the vital role Extension plays in improving farm operations and advancing Illinois agriculture.
By Talon Becker, Commercial Agriculture Specialist, University of Illinois Extension
Designed for both aspiring leaders and seasoned experts, ISA's LEAD Program provides tailored opportunities for growth, collaboration and impact
By Nicole Butler, ISA Executive Employee Relations
Learn more about the iFAB Tech Hub at the University of Illinois and how its team is harnessing the power of corn and soy to create sustainable, high-value products.
By Olivia Key, Field & Bean Magazine Assistant Editor
Illinois farmer and ISA Board Director Steve Pitstick expresses his concerns over the proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).
By Steve Pitstick, Illinois Farmer and ISA Board Director
By Stacy Zuber, Ph.D., ISA Research Data Scientist
ISA Perspectives
By Elliott Uphoff, ISA District 10 Director
By John Lumpe, ISA CEO
By Claire Faber, ISA Communications Manager
Read more about your Illinois Soybean Association's project highlights, program developments and what's ahead in the FY24 Year End Report.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Rising costs on inputs like feed, fertilizers, fuel and labor, along with higher insurance premiums and inflated equipment prices, can make it difficult for farmers to make a profit. So what's a farmer to do?
By IL Field & Bean Team
For 50 years, NASA has helped farmers to boldly grow, bringing you innovations designed for space exploration that translate to field exploration.
By IL Field & Bean Team
The 2025 Soybean Summit is an expanded, two-day event designed to provide Illinois farmers with timely updates on a number of issues. Step inside!
By IL Field & Bean Team
Queen of the Field Meal, Deanne Frieders shares some of her favorite farmhouse holiday recipes.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Soil health mindset underpins efforts to boost productivity, sustainability and resilience.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Although it’s generally a growing part of every year’s crop budget, innovation is often an early exit from farmers’ wish lists in years when crop revenue slips and budgets tighten. Here's how to balance tech resources with reality.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Experts share tips for equipment, marketing and sustainability over the long winter months.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Join the ISA Agronomy Team at the Field Advisor Forum—a day dedicated to learning how your checkoff dollars are funding impactful agronomic research in Illinois and providing data-driven solutions for your farm.
By Stephanie Porter
ISA's newly updated Field Advisor platform brings the latest on-farm research together with weekly agronomic insights and news to help your operation improve yield and profitability.
By Jennifer Jones
This opinion piece authored by El Paso farmer, Rob Shaffer, explores our opportunity to build stable, reliable markets for Illinois crops that provide a sustainable return on our investments.
By Rob Shaffer
As it celebrates its one-year anniversary, the ISA Soy Innovation Center is dedicated to facilitating the research and commercialization of new and innovative soy-based products with a focus on three primary categories: textiles, bio-lubricants and industrial applications.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Did you know soy can be used to replace nearly any product made from petroleum—including plastics? Soy-based plastics offer a nontoxic alternative to everyday items, contributing to sustainability and representing an exciting opportunity to drive demand for Illinois soy.
By Dylan Karis, Lead Chemist, Airable Research Lab
Learn more about an emerging partnership between ISA and the Peoria-based National Center for Agricultural Utilization, a 270,000-sq.-ft. research facility that employs nearly 200 people including 75 Ph.D. scientists.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Less than two years since its launch, this program boasts more than 63 Sustainably Certified products, each of which must meet the standards outlined by the USDA’s BioPreferred® Program.
By IL Field & Bean Team
As more companies and consumers embrace soy, eco-friendly solutions will increasingly become the norm rather than the exception.
By Jaidyn Miller
Explore how St. Lawrence Seaway could get more Illinois soy to Europe.
By Eileen Pabst, ISA International Markets Manager, and Tim Rendall, ISA Domestic Markets Manager
According to Collin Cisco, ISA Public Policy Manager, understanding the impact of upcoming tax changes—particularly the estate tax, Section 199A deductions and the stepped-up basis rule—is crucial for Illinois farmers who aim to safeguard their financial future and secure their ability to continue farming.
By Collin Cisco
Learn what ISG is doing to ensure American tax dollars are invested in domestic industries that use domestic feedstocks - such as Illinois-grown soybeans - to ensure our energy independence.
By David Kubik
Corey Lacey, Ph.D., ISA Environmental Policy Manager, answers readers' top questions and breaks down the EPA's final herbicide strategy.
By Corey Lacey
Discover the many ways the Illinois Soybean Association has spent the last 60 years advancing biofuels, infrastructure and waterways transportation, and critical agronomic research - and what soybean farmers can expect in the coming years.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Hear from Stephen Censky, Chief Executive Officer of the American Soybean Association, about the ways ASA, ISA and other groups are working together to protect your farming freedoms.
By Stephen Censky
Get to know your ISA Government Relations Team, which is dedicated to advocating ...
By Olivia Key