Update:
Iowa State University hired a new weed scientist, Dr. Prashant Jha, who joined the agronomy department in late April 2019. The ISRC staff, and Scott Nelson and Steve May from the Iowa Soybean Association met with Prashant in May to learn about his research background and interests. We talked about ways in which all of us can collaborate together to mutually benefit one another. Prashant is excited to be at ISU and looks forward to working with the ISRC.
Collaborations between the ISRC, the ISA, and the ISU Farms continue to develop. Scott Nelson from ISA shared his On-Farm Network Science plan for 2019 with the group.
The ISRC launched its first newsletter in April. Kara Berg, communications specialist for the ISRC, released the second newsletter in July and is working on another one to come out in October. All the ISRC newsletters can be found on the ISRC website.
Jill Cornelis, the center’s program coordinator, assisted ISU faculty in putting together proposals for submission to both the ISA and NCSRP’s call for proposals this spring.
Last fall, the center visited Solum Labs on our field tour where we met Dr. Liz Buescher, a microbiologist working on molecular SCN quantification. Liz has reached out to ISRC Director Greg Tylka several times since the tour requesting SCN samples to use for developing her new method. This summer, Liz hosted an intern at Solum Labs who is doing research on SDS. The intern was in need of SDS fungal spores to finish up his summer project on molecular quantification, so Liz reached out to the ISRC for help. The center was able to put her in touch with ISU researcher Leonor Leandro who was able to provide Liz’s intern with the needed spores.
Summer Activities:
• Dan Robison, ISU’s Dean of the College of Ag and Life Sciences, addressed the Iowa Soybean Association Board and Greg Tylka gave an update on the ISRC during the annual ISA Board meeting in Ankeny last June.
• The ISRC was asked by the Iowa Soybean Association to host a group from Hungary for an afternoon on the ISU campus. We took the group of eight delegates on tours of the Seed Science Center, the Advanced Teaching and Research Building’s teaching lab and research labs, and provided a brief presentation about the Iowa Soybean Research Center and how it was founded. The group was very interested in learning about the new feed mill project at ISU. Jay Harmon, interim Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach, talked about the project and answered questions.
• ISRC staff hosted ISA’s leadership group, ISA Experience, which includes Iowa farmers interested in exploring future leadership opportunities with ISA and/or other ag-leadership roles in Iowa. This group went on a tour of the Seed Science Center and the Advanced Teaching and Research Building. Several ISU researchers set up insect and disease specimens for display in the teaching lab.
• The center helped sponsor this year’s ISU Integration Pest Management Team’s State Crop Scouting Competition this summer at the Field Extension Education Lab (FEEL) near Boone, Iowa. Eight teams competed in nine field stations focused on crop management of corn and soybeans. Sponsorship included a Soybean Diseases publication, soy snacks, and a soybean-shaped pencil case given to each participant and coach.
• The ISRC assisted ISU faculty in organizing a precision ag summer class. A group of 16 college students with a variety of different academic disciplines from India were hosted for the week by the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in exploring the ISU campus and met with a variety of faculty from the agricultural and veterinary medicine colleges. The center set up a one-hour class on precision agriculture followed by a tour of the Advanced Teaching and Research Building to show the research labs and teaching lab.
• The annual ISRC staff retreat was held June 26 at the Iowa Soybean Association office in Ankeny, Iowa. Much of the day was spent with Steve May and the ISRC staff laying out the agenda for the upcoming Industry Advisory Council meeting and piecing together a stakeholder report for the center. Representatives from the ISA communications and research teams joined us for lunch, which included an open and thorough discussion with feedback on the ISRC’s brochure, ideas for a farmer advocate video, and thoughts about a soy research symposium at ISU. These retreats always prove useful by reflecting on what has been done and developing steps to move the center forward on a big-picture scale.
• A summer field tour was hosted by the ISRC. We took 15 participants on a one-day tour of the Bayer Learning Center outside of Huxley, Iowa, followed by a tour of Robb Ewoldt’s farm near Davenport, Iowa. Tour participants included ISU researchers, Ed Anderson and David Kurth from the Iowa Soybean Association and Rod Swoboda, editor of Wallaces Farmer Magazine. The center receives high praise for these trips from participants including Kendall Lamkey, ISU agronomy chair, who strongly encourages his research faculty, staff, and students to attend.
A meeting for the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council was held this fall. We welcomed four new industry partners, Syngenta, Corteva AgriScience, GDM Seeds, and FMC and two new farmer representatives. Agenda topics included a welcome from the College of Ag and Life Sciences Dean, Dan Robison, a review of the ISRC’s Stakeholder report, an update on the ISO-FAST tool project funded last year by the center, and four proposal presentations by ISU faculty, followed by the council’s discussion on what research they recommend funding this year. A follow on meeting with the center’s Management Team is set for the end of September. The Management Team chooses which proposal(s), if any, will be supported by the ISRC.

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Iowa State University hired a new weed scientist, Dr. Prashant Jha, who joined the agronomy department in late April 2019. The ISRC staff, and Scott Nelson and Steve May from the Iowa Soybean Association met with Prashant in May to learn about his research background and interests. We talked about ways in which all of us can collaborate together to mutually benefit one another. Prashant is excited to be at ISU and looks forward to working with the ISRC.
Collaborations between the ISRC, the ISA, and the ISU Farms continue to develop. Scott Nelson from ISA shared his On-Farm Network Science plan for 2019 with the group.
The ISRC launched its first newsletter in April. Kara Berg, communications specialist for the ISRC, released the second newsletter in July and is working on another one to come out in October. All the ISRC newsletters can be found on the ISRC website.
Jill Cornelis, the center’s program coordinator, assisted ISU faculty in putting together proposals for submission to both the ISA and NCSRP’s call for proposals this spring.
Last fall, the center visited Solum Labs on our field tour where we met Dr. Liz Buescher, a microbiologist working on molecular SCN quantification. Liz has reached out to ISRC Director Greg Tylka several times since the tour requesting SCN samples to use for developing her new method. This summer, Liz hosted an intern at Solum Labs who is doing research on SDS. The intern was in need of SDS fungal spores to finish up his summer project on molecular quantification, so Liz reached out to the ISRC for help. The center was able to put her in touch with ISU researcher Leonor Leandro who was able to provide Liz’s intern with the needed spores.
Summer Activities:
• Dan Robison, ISU’s Dean of the College of Ag and Life Sciences, addressed the Iowa Soybean Association Board and Greg Tylka gave an update on the ISRC during the annual ISA Board meeting in Ankeny last June.
• The ISRC was asked by the Iowa Soybean Association to host a group from Hungary for an afternoon on the ISU campus. We took the group of eight delegates on tours of the Seed Science Center, the Advanced Teaching and Research Building’s teaching lab and research labs, and provided a brief presentation about the Iowa Soybean Research Center and how it was founded. The group was very interested in learning about the new feed mill project at ISU. Jay Harmon, interim Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach, talked about the project and answered questions.
• ISRC staff hosted ISA’s leadership group, ISA Experience, which includes Iowa farmers interested in exploring future leadership opportunities with ISA and/or other ag-leadership roles in Iowa. This group went on a tour of the Seed Science Center and the Advanced Teaching and Research Building. Several ISU researchers set up insect and disease specimens for display in the teaching lab.
• The center helped sponsor this year’s ISU Integration Pest Management Team’s State Crop Scouting Competition this summer at the Field Extension Education Lab (FEEL) near Boone, Iowa. Eight teams competed in nine field stations focused on crop management of corn and soybeans. Sponsorship included a Soybean Diseases publication, soy snacks, and a soybean-shaped pencil case given to each participant and coach.
• The ISRC assisted ISU faculty in organizing a precision ag summer class. A group of 16 college students with a variety of different academic disciplines from India were hosted for the week by the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in exploring the ISU campus and met with a variety of faculty from the agricultural and veterinary medicine colleges. The center set up a one-hour class on precision agriculture followed by a tour of the Advanced Teaching and Research Building to show the research labs and teaching lab.
• The annual ISRC staff retreat was held June 26 at the Iowa Soybean Association office in Ankeny, Iowa. Much of the day was spent with Steve May and the ISRC staff laying out the agenda for the upcoming Industry Advisory Council meeting and piecing together a stakeholder report for the center. Representatives from the ISA communications and research teams joined us for lunch, which included an open and thorough discussion with feedback on the ISRC’s brochure, ideas for a farmer advocate video, and thoughts about a soy research symposium at ISU. These retreats always prove useful by reflecting on what has been done and developing steps to move the center forward on a big-picture scale.
• A summer field tour was hosted by the ISRC. We took 15 participants on a one-day tour of the Bayer Learning Center outside of Huxley, Iowa, followed by a tour of Robb Ewoldt’s farm near Davenport, Iowa. Tour participants included ISU researchers, Ed Anderson and David Kurth from the Iowa Soybean Association and Rod Swoboda, editor of Wallaces Farmer Magazine. The center receives high praise for these trips from participants including Kendall Lamkey, ISU agronomy chair, who strongly encourages his research faculty, staff, and students to attend.
A meeting for the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council was held this fall. We welcomed four new industry partners, Syngenta, Corteva AgriScience, GDM Seeds, and FMC and two new farmer representatives. Agenda topics included a welcome from the College of Ag and Life Sciences Dean, Dan Robison, a review of the ISRC’s Stakeholder report, an update on the ISO-FAST tool project funded last year by the center, and four proposal presentations by ISU faculty, followed by the council’s discussion on what research they recommend funding this year. A follow on meeting with the center’s Management Team, set for the end of September, offered discussion and considerations of each proposed project. The Management Team chose two projects that were most widely supported by the Council members:
1. Prashant Jha was awarded $120,000 for two years for his project titled “Hyperspectral Imaging for Early detection of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds in Soybean.”
2. Steve Whitham was awarded $100,000 for two years for his project, “Virus-mediated gene editing in soybean.”