Last week, the ISA Market Development team attended the 2023 Soy Connext in New York, NY. The department focused on meeting with representatives of Turkey, Morocco, Colombia, and Nigeria. The team also followed up with the numerous trade teams that attended farm visits with Illinois farmers over the past couple of weeks. Those trade teams included people from Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) recently announced the launch of a Bridge Bundling Toolkit, an interactive website that provides municipal, township, and county officials with a step-by-step guide on how to assess and develop a bridge bundle. Illinois has over 26,000 bridges statewide, of which 44% are in fair condition and 9% are in poor condition as designated by the United States Federal Highway Administration.

Join ISA on Tuesday, August 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Illinois State University Teaching and Research Farm (25578 ISU Farm Ln, Lexington, IL 61753) to learn about soybean growth following different crop rotations, cover crops, and varying planting dates. The event will include field tours, lunch, and presentations from researchers at ISU.

The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is excited to sponsor three nights of the ITPA Truck and Tractor Pulls at the 2023 Illinois State Fair. Competitions will take place on Monday, August 14 through Wednesday, August 16 in the multi-purpose arena. Get your tickets today!

The Illinois Soybean Board (ISB) elected new leadership during its Summer Board Meeting yesterday in Champaign, Illinois. Ron Kindred, District 9, was elected Chairman after having served as ISA Vice Chairman for the previous two years. ISA has a total of 18 district directors and six at-large directors from regions throughout the state who work on behalf of Illinois soybean producers and the checkoff.

The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) Soybean Production Committee board and staff traveled to the Netherlands last week with the goal of understanding European agricultural technology and climate regulations. Tour stops included Danone, Dutch Farms, the Port of Rotterdam, and Wageningen University.