Leading the Way

Leading the Way

Three women are taking the helm for Iowa’s soybean, corn and pork associations

By Ann Foster Thelen

History is being made as three women take the helm as presidents of several Iowa commodity groups. We sat down with Suzanne Shirbroun, Iowa Soybean Association; Jolene Riessen, Iowa Corn Growers Association; and Trish Cook, Iowa Pork Producers Association, to learn their views on opportunities and challenges for their industries, perspectives on food and agriculture, and what they most want consumers to know.

Why are you passionate about serving in a leadership role for the association you represent?

Shirbroun: The main reason I got involved with the Iowa Soybean Association stemmed from a desire to better understand what’s happening with my soybean checkoff dollars. The soy checkoff is supported entirely by soybean farmers with individual contributions of 0.5% of the market price per bushel sold each season. I appreciate how our checkoff dollars are used to promote, educate and move soybeans across Iowa, the nation and the world. I was eager to learn more and use my skills to help impact decision-making and influence policy outcomes.

Riessen: I wanted to do something to support farming and my family, so I joined Iowa Corn. I want consumers to know Iowa’s corn farmers are producing a safe and wholesome product. I wholeheartedly believe in farming and the tremendous value of the industry. It’s gratifying to know that through my work with Iowa Corn, one conversation with a congressional representative, business leader or consumer can make things better for farming. That’s what I find so inspiring and motivational.

Cook: I’m proud of what we do as pig farmers, which gives me passion. I want to be an authentic voice for helping consumers understand where their food comes from and know that the number one goal for farmers is providing safe food. No matter who the association president is, somebody is back home on the farm caring for livestock and enabling that person to take the role. In our situation, my husband and I run our farm together, so if he wasn’t willing to pick up the work, I couldn’t serve the industry in this manner.

Jolene Riessen and her two sons farm in Ida and Sac counties in northwest Iowa. Their farm consists of corn, soybeans, alfalfa, custom cattle feeding and a cow/calf operation. Riessen serves as the Iowa Corn Growers Association’s first vice president and will become president in early 2024.She also serves as an Ida County district soil commissioner and is president of the Sac/Ida Corn Growers Association. She has served on the Governor’s Task Force for Carbon Sequestration and is a vocal advocate for what farmers are doing to help improve water quality. Riessen has an animal science degree from Iowa State University.

Photo credit: Iowa Corn Growers Association

What is the most important thing you want consumers to know about farmers?

Shirbroun: Farmers care. We care about our environment, communities, food and food production. Because I drink the same water and eat the same foods as consumers, I have many of the same priorities regarding safety, environmental responsibility, sustainability and nutrition, to name just a few. We are all working toward the same goals.

Riessen: No one cares more about the land, environment and livestock than the farmer. I did a sustainability study with Iowa Corn; my farm is a net carbon-zero emitter. That’s the legacy I want to leave to my sons and the next generation. I am doing everything feasible to be sustainable, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the land so that it is even better than when my late husband and I started farming.

Cook: Overall, consumers trust the people who are raising their food. I’m very proud to be one of those people. Pork producers follow the We Care Ethical Principles to ensure we uphold the highest standards and constantly strive toward improvement. Every hour of every day, 365 days a year, we care about animal well-being and public health as well as our environment, employees, community and food safety.

What are some key opportunities and challenges facing the industry you lead?

Shirbroun: A new farm bill is imminent, and we want to ensure policymakers who might not have an agricultural background understand the impacts their decisions have on farmers across the nation.

There are also opportunities and challenges with demand. As there is more interest in biodiesel and renewable diesel, it means we’ll also have more soybean meal. We’re continuously working to find sustainable new uses for soybeans, and we’ve had tremendous success in this area. From asphalt to salad dressings to floor polish, soybeans are everywhere!

The orange gall midge, a relatively new insect impacting soybeans, is a big concern as it’s starting to move east across the state. Without proper management, these types of pests can be devastating to soybeans.

Riessen: One challenge I see coming down the road is urban sprawl. Farmland acres are becoming fewer, and our workforce is shrinking. These things will impact the future of farming. Even though farmers have less land, they are still managing to keep food production up; however, that will max out at some point. The sustainability aspect of this situation is important to both farmers and consumers.

There are biologicals and other technological advances in the works that will help to further retain some of the nutrients in our soil. Technology advances so quickly that it’s exciting to see what farming will be like in 20 years. Those opportunities are exhilarating.

Cook: Pork is the most globally consumed protein, and the world’s population keeps increasing. Our industry has tremendous potential to keep growing our market with a delicious, nutritious protein source.

Another opportunity is helping young people get into agriculture. Farming is a capitalintensive job, and it has a lot of barriers for a young person trying to get their foot in the door. Raising pigs and pork production is one way a young person can enter the industry.

The health challenges in raising a live animal are the things that keep me up at night the most.

In the U.S., thankfully, we have not experienced African Swine Fever. It’s occurring in China and a lot of Pacific Rim countries. We are vigilant and follow strict biosecurity procedures in everything we do.

Trish Cook, a Buchanan County pig farmer, became president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) in January. Along with her husband Aaron and three children, the Cooks own and operate their family farm near Winthrop, which includes a farrow-to-finish operation and corn and soybeans. Cook is a 27-year member of the Buchanan County Pork Producers and has served on the IPPA board since 2019 when she joined as the Northeast Region Director. Cook has an accounting degree from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of Iowa.

Photo credit: Iowa Farm Bureau

What key issue or topic related to food or agriculture do you want to share with consumers?

Shirbroun: Food prices are rising. I hope consumers understand the amount of their food dollar that goes back to the farmer is small – only 11.6 cents per dollar. Food costs include processing, transportation, retailers and more. Between the farm and the plate, many people are involved. We have some of the most economical, safe and nutritious food available in the world. I’ve had the opportunity to travel on global trade missions to Europe, South America and Asia; I wouldn’t trade our food supply with anyone.

Riessen: The affordability and availability of food. COVID really brought these concerns to light. For the most part, food has been readily available, priced at a point that almost everybody can make work. Since COVID, food affordability has become an issue for more people. It’s an concern that might linger for the foreseeable future.

Cook: There can be negative perceptions surrounding manure, but it is often because many people may not understand how incredibly valuable it is in agriculture. Manure has the fertilizer nutrients needed for crop production. Manure is natural, organic and comes from animals, so it’s part of a sustainable cycle. Pigs eat corn and soybeans, and as the pig grows, they become human food. Their manure is a fertilizer that gets spread onto the ground. It creates a sustainable cycle that helps grow the next crop of corn and soybeans, and the cycle repeats itself.

Suzanne Shirbroun farms near Farmersburg in Clayton County and serves as president-elect of the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA); she’ll become president in October. She grows soybeans and corn with her husband Joe and sons on the farm she grew up on. Proud to be a sixth-generation farmer, Shirbroun has farmed for more than 22 years and is eager to welcome the seventh generation to her family’s farming operation. She is also involved in the North Central Soybean Research Program, Iowa Corn Growers Association and CommonGround Iowa. Shirbroun has an agronomy degree from Iowa State University.

What accomplishments are you most proud of within the industry you have been elected to lead?

Shirbroun: The relevancy of soybeans. The soybean industry is competitive globally because it’s a crop that has endless new uses. From the airline and food industries to biofuels and consumer products, soybeans create sustainable products.

Riessen: I’m proud that farmers never stop working to improve. Farmer performance is exceptional in many areas, yet we never stop working harder to improve things. Our family was recently awarded the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award for our dedication to conservation, animal care and the community. The truth is, so many farmers in our industry are doing the same things. We’ve implemented various conservation practices, including waterways, terraces and no-till. A winter wheat cover crop has been grown on most of the farm’s acres for the past 10 years, and it’s chopped or baled to use as cattle feed.

Strategic nutrient management is another essential component of our conservation efforts.

Cook: When people ask me what I do for a living, I’m always proud to tell them that I’m a pig farmer. Part of this pride is because I’m doing something that is helping many people. It’s helping people access a nutritious, delicious and lean protein source. It’s helping fight food insecurity. We’re here because we care about our animals and those who want to consume our products. That’s what gets us up every day, to do our job the best way possible.