Bloomington, Ill. – August 01, 2022 – The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) has named Stephanie Porter as Outreach Agronomist and Deanna Burkhart as Agronomic Programs Coordinator.
As the Outreach Agronomist, Porter will be working on behalf of Illinois soybean farmers in the development and the implementation of ISA’s agronomic outreach programs for farmers, retailers, and agronomists. She will manage the ILSoyAdvisor Platforms, the Soy Envoy Program, and outreach events such as Better Beans Series, Soybean Summit, and ILSoyAdvisor field days.
Serving as the Agronomic Programs Coordinator, Burkhart will work on behalf of Illinois soybean farmers by supporting the agronomy team coordination of ISA funded research trials, master conservationist logistics, in-field activities, and Utilization committee logistics while implementing mission-driven objectives.
“Both Stephanie and Deanna are bringing high-level abilities and diverse agronomic knowledge to our organization,” says Illinois Soybean Association Director of Agronomy, Abigail Peterson. “We are looking forward to further expanding our agronomy department to better serve the current and future generations of Illinois soybean farmers.”
Stephanie Porter – Outreach Agronomist
Porter has 23 years of experience that consists of agronomy, conservation, horticulture, plant diagnostics, and education. She has her bachelor’s in crop science and master’s in plant pathology from the University of Illinois. Stephanie is a Certified Crop Advisory and was named the 2018 Illinois Certified Crop Adviser Master Soybean Advisor. She also has experience with corn and soybean pathology research, crop scouting, soil testing, as well as crop consulting. Previously, she utilized her diagnostic training and collaborated with University of Illinois departmental Extension Specialists to diagnose plant health problems and prepare written responses describing the diagnosis and management recommendations as the University of Illinois Plant Clinic.
Deanna Burkhart – Agronomic Programs Coordinator
Burkhart graduated from the University of Illinois College of ACES with a bachelor’s degree in in Animal Science and pursued a minor in Crop Science. For over 14 years she has worked in crop research focusing on soybean breeding, nursery coordination, field testing, and early pipeline seed logistics. Deanna currently resides outside of Bloomington, Ill., on her family farm with her husband and children. Deanna’s family grows corn and soybeans along with raising beef and dairy cattle.
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development and utilization efforts while the membership program supports the government relations interests of Illinois soybean farmers at the local, state, and national level, through the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG). ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean producers through promotion, advocacy, and education with the vision of becoming a market leader in sustainable soybean production and profitability. For more information, visit the website www.ilsoy.org and www.ilsoygrowers.com.
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Contact:
Rachel Peabody
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Office: 309.808.3617
Mobile: 309.307.9382
DeAnna Thomas
MEDIA RELATIONS MANAGER
Office: 309.808.3617
Mobile: 309.307.9363
