The Iowa Soybean Research Center will focus on all university activities related to soybean biology, breeding, economics, precision agriculture, production and pest management in the state. The center will involve and help coordinate research, teaching, and Extension faculty and staff who work in these areas. The ISRC’s overall mission is to advance the understanding of soybean plant biology and increase soybean production, making production more profitable and environmentally sustainable in the future.

Objectives of the Iowa Soybean Research Center:

* Build and maintain strong public-private partnerships.
* Benefit the Iowa soybean industry by sharing research-based information.
* Communicate and build relationships with farmers and industry through soybean research and education activities led by the ISRC.
* Develop collaborative research opportunities between the ISRC's industry partners, the Iowa Soybean Association and ISU.
* Grow and leverage public and private funding of soybean-related research and education activities at ISU.
* Provide training to undergraduate students, graduate students, and other personnel for soybean-related education, research and production activities.

Deliverables and outcomes from the Iowa Soybean Research Center:

* Provide quarterly updates about the ISRC to the Iowa Soybean Association Board Directors and, when requested, the ISRC Director will give center updates at the ISA Board Meetings.
* Enter ISRC progress reports and current center-funded research project updates twice a year into the National Soybean Research Database.
* Increase coordination of soybean research and education activities with Iowa State University, the ISA and agribusinesses in Iowa.
* Enhance the exchange of ideas and information through participation in crop conferences and educational meetings hosted by ISU and the ISA.
* Leverage funding of soybean production research activities with the soybean checkoff and the soybean industry.
* Improve collaborations and the exchange of ideas between other soybean centers in the United States and their qualified state soybean boards and university researchers to seek out large grants from federal funding agencies.
* Expand cooperative research between ISU researchers and the ISA's Research Center for Farming Innovation.

Updated September 11, 2025:
ISRC Progress Report September 2024-March 2025

ISRC industry partner GDM initiated a travel grant program providing travel funds to ISU graduate students presenting research at scientific conferences in 2024. The center assisted GDM with the student application and award processes. The grants support student travel expenses for attending research conferences in recognition of the students’ outstanding research contributions. The program is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their work on a national platform.
GDM awarded $1,000 travel grants to two students who presented their research at the National Association for Plant Breeding Meeting in St. Louis in July 2024. Two more grants were awarded to students presenting their research at the Tri-Society joint meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America in San Antonio in November 2024. GDM is offering the travel grant program through the center again in 2025.
The ISRC welcomed two new industry partners. BioConnect Iowa works with entrepreneurs around the state connecting them with investors to move their innovations forward, and Indigo Ag is a leader in sustainable agriculture solutions through their sustainability programs and biologicals. Each company sent representatives to participate in the ISRC’s annual Industry Advisory Council Meeting in September.

The ISRC hosted its first Research Day in conjunction with the center’s annual Industry Advisory Council (IAC) Meeting in Ames. On the afternoon of September 5, 2024, 19 ISU researchers presented posters describing their current crop research projects involving soybean, maize, and mung bean to IAC members who attended the event at ISU’s Reiman Gardens. Six oral presentations by faculty lead investigators and two graduate students working on the projects provided updates on current and recent ISRC-funded projects. A dinner following the presentations provided an opportunity for the IAC members and ISU researchers to continue discussions. The ISRC staff received positive feedback from both the IAC and researchers about continuing the Research Day event in the future.

The center’s annual IAC Meeting was held at the ISU Alumni Center on September 6, 2024 at which Council members considered proposed soybean research ideas and offered guidance to the center’s Management Team on how best to invest the funds available in research support. The meeting kicked off with a welcome from Dan Robison, Dean of ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who focused on the importance of the soybean industry to the university. Then the chair of the IAC, Christie Wiebbecke, ISA’s Chief Officer of Research and Conservation, led the council through the small and large group discussions to arrive at a consensus of research ideas to recommend to the ISRC Management Team.

During their meeting on September 16, the ISRC Management Team discussed the research projects the IAC recommended for funding as well as the other research ideas that were submitted. Keeping in mind the FY25 total budget support, the Management Team made their final funding decisions for the FY25 projects:
• Thomas Baum’s three-year project, “Cyst nematode single-cell omics”
• Gwyn Beattie’s two-year project, “Using soybean microbes as protectants from stress”
• Walter Suza’s two-year project, “Investigating the role of stigmasterol in soybean growth and development”.

The ISRC celebrated their 10-year anniversary in 2024. As part of the 10-year anniversary celebration, the center sponsored seminar speakers to come to the ISU campus and present talks related to agronomy, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and plant pathology, entomology and microbiology.

In April, the ISU plant pathology, entomology and microbiology department hosted Justin McMechan from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who provided an update on soybean gall midge research.

The ISU agricultural and biosystems engineering department hosted Dr. Kaiyu Guan from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to speak on October 28. Dr. Guan is a professor in agroecosystem sensing and modeling. Dr. Guan’s presentation, titled, “Advancing agricultural research in the earth system science framework,” was available in-person and via ZOOM.
The ISU agronomy department hosted a two-part seminar series during the fall 2024 semester. The first seminar, on September 19, was a panel discussion on the challenges and benefits of integration conservation methods into farming practices. The panelists included northeast Iowa farmer Tim Burrack, Heartland Coop’s Ruth McCabe and Syngenta’s Brett Miller.

A visit with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Mike Naig, came in December and was part two of agronomy’s seminar series. Naig discussed the tradeoffs of implementing conservation practices and how legislative policies may affect decisions by Iowa farmers.

Since 2017, the ISRC has organized Field Tours as an opportunity for ISU researchers to learn and understand agriculture businesses and organizations located throughout Iowa that support soybean production in our state. On November 5, the ISRC took 25 ISU research graduate students, faculty and staff to visit Ag Leader Technology and Blomgren Seed. Ag Leader is located near the ISU Research Park in Ames. The company was started in 1992 by Al Myers and is a pioneer in the precision agriculture industry. Located near Boone, Blomgren Seed’s origins started in the late 1980’s as a DEKALB Seed dealership, but now offers specialty seed treatments, warehousing and habitat-management services in addition to selling seed. Owner, Sean Blomgren, hosted the group on a tour of the company’s warehouse.

Dr. Wesley Everman joined Iowa State on November 1 as ISU’s new weed scientist in the department of agronomy. Dr. Everman comes to ISU from North Carolina State University where he served as professor and extension weed specialist. Read more about Dr. Everman from the ISU Extension and Outreach news release, https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/everman-named-new-assistant-professor-and-extension-weed-specialist.

Iowa State University News Service highlighted Dr. Sotirios Archontoulis’ ISRC project, “Continuous soybean,” in a September 18 article. You can read the article about the project that started in 2023, https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/farming-soybeans-after-soybeans-rarity-iowa-gets-closer-look-0.

Dr. Liang Dong received research support from the ISRC in 2021 for his project, “Low-cost multimodal sensor arrays for early detection of soybean diseases.” The project included collaboration with Dr. Steve Whitham, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology. In his research, Dr. Dong successfully developed sensors for low-cost monitoring and early detection of plant diseases. The project was recently selected to receive additional funding from USDA-NIFA. You can read about the project outcomes in the final report on the ISRC website, https://iowasoybeancenter.iastate.edu/project/low-cost-multimodal-sensor-arrays-early-detection-soybean-diseases.

ISRC Co-director, Danny Singh left his post as co-director of the center on January 1, 2025, when he was appointed associate dean for research and discovery and associate director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station for ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). The CALS Dean, Dan Robison, will appoint a new co-director for the ISRC later this spring.

The ISRC staff was invited to participate in ISU’s Day at the Iowa State Capitol on March 4. It was an opportunity for the center to showcase everything soy. The center’s staff engaged with state legislators, senate pages, high school students, and many others onsite who were interested in learning more about soybean what the center does to help Iowa farmers increase soybean yields.

The ISRC’s Jill Cornelis helped coordinate Syngenta’s annual Regional Agronomist Spring Training Workshop held at ISU’s Seed Science Center on March 25-26. It’s a win-win for Syngenta to host their workshop on campus. The group has access to interact directly with a variety of ISU researchers and research labs.

Upcoming Events & Activities in 2025:
April is National Soy Foods Month. An omelet breakfast for ISU students will be offered on April 8 at the ISU Student Innovation Center. The event will be used to educate students about soy foods. The breakfast is co-sponsored by the ISRC, the Iowa Egg Council/North Central Poultry Association, Humble Donut Company and the Iowa Food and Family Project.

The ISRC is developing plans to host a Field Tour this summer for ISU researchers to visit Iowa agriculture businesses.
A staff retreat for the ISRC is scheduled for June 18 at the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens.

The ISRC’s biennial SoyFest event will be Wednesday, August 27 from 10 am to 2 pm on ISU’s central campus. The event offers ISU students a chance to learn about how soy is part of their daily lives by showcasing a variety of soy products.

The ISRC is planning our fifth annual Meals from the Heartland meal packaging event in August.

The ISRC is planning a Research Day as part of the center’s annual Industry Advisory Council Meeting scheduled for September 9 in Ames.

The function of Iowa State University's Iowa Soybean Research Center is to increase collaboration, coordination, and integration among Iowa State University, the Iowa Soybean Association, industry, and farmers to align the soybean-related activities at ISU with the needs of Iowa soybean farmers and the industry that supports production of the crop. The Center will involve and help coordinate research, teaching, and Extension faculty and staff who work in the areas of soybean biology, breeding, economics, precision agriculture, production, and pest management at ISU and the Iowa Soybean Association.