The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) Soybean Summit has historically been an agronomy-focused meeting. Today, the meeting’s foundation still lies in the latest cutting-edge agronomic research and high-value information for growers. But the Soybean Summit also has evolved into what ISA Director of Operations Dustin Scott likens to a set of gears linked to a transfer case: the event keeps the Illinois soybean industry—and the families who drive it—moving forward.

On top of tackling the traditional topics such as agronomic and market research, this year’s summit will feature conversations among leaders, members and other soybean industry stakeholders on a range of other key industry topics. This type of engagement is necessary to drive economic success for the state’s soybean growers and everyone who works in what is a massive economic driver for all of Illinois.

On the 2025 ISA Soybean Summit agenda are timely updates on issues such as the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Herbicide Strategy, farm bill and infrastructure improvements, as well as the latest on sustainability trends.

“We are here to amplify farmers’ voices and get more information about changes coming that can impact their bottom lines,” said ISA Government Relations and Strategy Director Andrew Larson. “Everything we do at ISA is connected to farmers’ profitability.”

Previously a one-day event, this year’s Soybean Summit will take place Feb. 10-11 at the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center in Champaign.

A heritage of evolving service to soybean farmers
Built atop the ISA foundations of maintaining resiliency, enhancing profitability and expanding overall knowledge for the state’s soybean farmers, the Soybean Summit has been a key platform for sharing valuable research findings, soybean best management practices and marketplace insights dating back to the organization’s earliest days. Sixty years after its first installment, the event continues to deliver the latest research, policy insights and more that combine to raise the tide for all the state’s soybean growers and industry stakeholders.

“It’s really like gears working together to move the entire industry forward,” Scott said. “While we are still maintaining a strong agronomic focus, we’re shifting to more of a holistic view to farmers based on the idea of why things like innovation and sustainability matter to them, from the soil in which they work to the soybeans they are shipping all over the world.”

What to expect at the 2025 Soybean Summit
Attendees at this year’s Soybean Summit will access exclusive opportunities through a range of activities including:

• Expert speakers: Leading agronomists and industry experts will share insights on the latest developments in soybean production.
• Educational sessions: Topics will include sustainable production methods, agronomic management strategies and market trends.
• Networking opportunities: Growers can connect with peers and industry professionals, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Actionable recommendations: Practical advice will be provided to help attendees improve soybean yields and overall profitability.

Adhering to a potential new herbicide rule
Released last year, EPA’s new Herbicide Strategy will change growers’ decision-making on herbicide and pesticide selection and application. Under the strategy that is in the process of becoming regulation, growers might face limitations on what, where and when they can apply some products based on the presence of “designated critical habitats” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Although it’s a potential added regulatory burden, it also will enable growers to adopt practices such as integrated pest management. At the Soybean Summit, growers can expect to share ideas and get answers to questions they have surrounding the new strategy.

“Illinois soybean farmers will have opportunities to employ best practices and emerging technologies that can both work well agronomically and ensure products are used responsibly and sustainably,” Larson said. “The EPA strategy aims to support long-term viability of both our environment and soybean production in general by promoting responsible herbicide use and enhancing effective resilient production systems.”

Spotlighting the transportation infrastructure issue
Heading into a year of much uncertainty about numerous policy issues facing soybean farmers and others in the value chain, the 2025 Soybean Summit will feature abundant discussion about issues such as infrastructure, regulation and federal policies, including the possible shape of the next farm bill.

ISA leaders will frame up sessions in the context of updates necessary to maintain Illinois soybean farmers’ geographic advantage to domestic and global soybean buyers. They will discuss the natural tie between strengthening the state’s transportation infrastructure and maintaining access to global market terminals. At a time when many of the state’s roads, bridges and river transportation infrastructure are in dire need of updating, discussions about this key issue will create heightened awareness among everyone who attends the Soybean Summit.

“Infrastructure is a competitive advantage for Illinois producers. You need to get your soybeans to market and the barges that get them to global buyers. Right now, the need to update our infrastructure is an obstacle to getting soybeans sold,” Scott said. “We’re not in the bridge-building business, but we understand the economic impact of bridges in our state. So we are focused on raising awareness among farmers on this issue so our lawmakers know it is a priority and a major economic driver for our state.”

An ISA study released in November painted a clear picture of that economic impact and the need for action. It showed every dollar invested in maintaining the state’s bridges—65 percent of which are in “fair or poor” condition—creates almost $5 of economic activity. In the state’s top 13 agricultural counties alone, investing in bridge updates will have a positive $5.63 billion economic impact. Although infrastructure improvements are a statewide issue that will benefit all Illinois residents, the agriculture industry will be especially reliant on such upgrades. That makes the Soybean Summit the ideal time and place to begin raising even more awareness of the critical issue.

“We want Illinois soybean growers to know ISA has their back on this issue, both immediately and in the long term. With how much soybean production is expected to increase over the next 25 years, we need to figure out how to continue meeting market demand in what’s a global system,” said ISA Market Development Director Todd Main. “I want soybean farmers to know the issue and that we’re on the job and anticipating any challenges that come up as we take on the infrastructure challenge.”

Rural connectivity and sustainability are among the issues on the agenda at the 2025 Soybean Summit.

Meeting soybean demand depends on good infrastructure
About 60 percent of the soybeans raised in Illinois are destined for use overseas every year. Many of those global destinations are half a world away from the state’s soybean fields, and reaching them requires overcoming the infrastructure obstacles throughout the supply chain.

Overseas buyers depend on Illinois soybeans. That means the infrastructure issue is about more than just the trucks and barges moving soybeans to the export market. It’s also about market prices and the ability to costeffectively meet demand for the crop and sustain those prices over time, another big topic at this year’s Soybean Summit.

“We can get our goods to market anywhere efficiently and inexpensively,” Main said. “We can’t really compete on price. We will have to have a different kind of transportation system to reach new destination markets. We know we will have soybeans going to Indonesia, India and Sub-Saharan Africa based on population growth. Maintaining our competitive advantage in Illinois and continuing access to the markets that contribute to our prices will ultimately depend on getting our infrastructure updated to meet evolving global demand.”

Sustainability and rural connectivity issues
Just as questions about the state’s infrastructure needs remain top of mind, so too do questions continue to swirl about the development “carbon economy,” what it could mean to biofuels production in Illinois and the specific value of carbon as a commodity and how that value translates to farm-level practices to capture it. That will be another focus at the 2025 Soybean Summit, as it’s an area of both challenges and opportunities for Illinois soybean farmers. The carbon economy is something Larson said he’s watching closely, namely because of its implications for producers at the farm level and in the biodiesel sector.

“As an organization, we’ve been monitoring the carbon economy closely because some programs and ideas billed as helping farmers don’t go far enough when it comes to mandates,” Larson said. “The establishment of the carbon economy could redefine biofuels policy in a way that puts Illinois biodiesel at a disadvantage, and we want to make sure that our state’s 300-million-gallon-plus market demand isn’t negatively impacted by low carbon standards. We don’t support a cap-and-trade system and there needs to be a value attached to carbon so our farmers realize if they’re being asked to integrate practices to generate carbon credits like no-till or cover crops — which we’re big fans of — it pencils out and they’re not incurring new costs and losing opportunities to generate profits. It’s our job to make sure farmer profitability is involved in the carbon conversation.”

As the carbon economy continues to evolve, so too does work to provide rural connectivity across the state. With around $1 billion in federal funding coming soon to advance that effort.

Main said rural connectivity will be another issue to be addressed by ISA leaders at the 2025 Soybean Summit. Although rural connectivity is not directly soybean-related, its influence on the state’s rural communities that soybean farmers call home makes it an issue of even greater importance.

“We’ve started a program to educate members at the county level about what it takes to plan rural broadband development for their counties. If we don’t engage and have a plan, we will basically get whatever the dominant provider’s going to give us, and that’s likely to be based on how they serve larger population centers,” Main said, adding ISA has a curriculum to train rural community leaders on securing grant funding for rural connectivity. “Making sure our small towns have connectivity contributes to rural community vitality by better enabling residents to participate in the information economy.”

Maintaining resiliency through adaptability
In all, the range of topics explored at the 2025 Soybean Summit will arm Illinois soybean farmers with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions in the new crop year and beyond, from the field to discussions with decision-makers. The event’s valuable networking opportunities for growers are part of why this year’s event was expanded to two days, Scott said. But like discussions about agronomy and industry issues, topics during the 2025 Soybean Summit all ladder up to the same idea.

“The Soybean Summit is all about the practical application of ideas and the resiliency of Illinois soybean farmers,” Scott said. “The learning growers take away from it all has something you can take back to your farm and do. It’s not like putting a book on the shelf. Growers who attend are going to learn something more than they thought they’d take away from the event.”

Find out more about the 2025 Soybean Summit at ilsoy.org/event/soybean-summit-2025, or contact us by phone at (309) 663-7692 or email at ilsoy@ilsoy.org.