DISTRICT 3
Ryan and Kristin Oberbroeckling BY BETHANY BARATTA
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aying yes to an invitation to attend an Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) research conference opened the doors to farmer membership and camaraderie for young farmers Ryan and Kristin Oberbroeckling of Garnavillo. From there, an invite from ISA District 3 Director Suzanne Shirbroun to join the District Advisory Council (DAC) developed the couple’s interest in delving deeper into the organization. The Oberbroecklings raise hogs, soybeans and corn in the northeast corner of the state, where Ryan was raised. It took a trip to the FFA Washington Leadership Conference for them to meet. Kristin was raised near West Union, not on a farm, but closely connected to agriculture. Her grandparents started Baumler Implement, and she worked on a friend’s dairy farm. “We had to travel 22 hours to come together,” Ryan says of their meeting in Washington, D.C. “We lived just 45 minutes apart.” After they both graduated from
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Iowa State University, the couple settled on a farm where Ryan was raised. It’s the farm where they now raise their 2-year-old-daughter Raelynn. They’ve rented farms since 2013 and bought their first one in 2019. “It was a dream come true,” Kristin says. Ryan adds, “It was the most money we’ve ever spent, but it felt the best.” Being involved with ISA, the Oberbroecklings have found a network of other farmers with similar stories and challenges. Ryan and Kristin were selected for the Young Leader Program. Sponsored by Corteva Agriscience and the American Soybean Association, it’s a two-phase educational program for actively farming individuals and couples who are passionate about the future possibilities of agriculture. “We have created lifelong friendships with others from Virginia to Tennessee and Kansas to Canada,” Kristin says. “It has benefited us to see
what other farmers are doing as far as tillage practices, chemicals, biologicals, and even how they handle their bad days. This program also taught us some different approaches to leadership.” The opportunities for connections are a highlight of ISA farmer membership, Kristin says.
