Wayne Frede A Legacy of Leadership BY BETHANY BARATTA
T
hough a self-described “accidental conservationist,” Wayne Fredericks’ legacy of leadership within the soybean industry is anything but a coincidence. Fredericks was recently recognized as the recipient of the Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) Legacy of Leadership Award. The award, sponsored by Stine Seed, is presented to an ISA member who has established a history of leadership and has taken an active role in advancing the goals of ISA. ISA CEO Kirk Leeds presented Fredericks with the award in Osage, where Wayne and his wife Ruth reside. Leeds and Fredericks reflected on the two decades of time they’ve spent together traversing the state, country, and globe, promoting the soybean industry. But perhaps the most impactful visit for Leeds was the trip to the family’s farm. “I can remember the first time I came to your farm,” Leeds says. “We were out on the patio, and you were talking about the changes you were making on your farm. It was almost a reverence about the soil and what you were doing to improve your farm.”
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Over the years, those changes would include a litany of conservation efforts, including no-till, strip-till, cover crops, pollinator habitats, waterways, windbreaks and a nutrient bioreactor. Wayne and Ruth earned the American Soybean Association’s (ASA) National Conservation Legacy Award in 2022. Wayne also took on the role of “conservation champion” through the Front40 program, a platform for Iowa’s conservation-minded farmers that aims educate the public on the practices already in place and encourage the next generation to raise the bar in what’s possible. Fredericks served the soybean industry for nearly two decades. He served as president of ISA in 2015, and as a director on the ASA board. His participation in research trials — more than 100 replicated trials — and his willingness to share the results with other farmers made him a highly sought after keynote presenter. His ability to show — and not preach — made him an effective leader. Continued on Pg. 18
