BETTER TOGETHER Collaborating to improve research and results for the Iowa soybean farmer. BY KRISS NELSON
Joe McClure and Daren Mueller f requently collaborate on projects that yield benef its to Iowa farmers.
I
t’s not a competition but a collaboration between the Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI) and the Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University. At the heart of the partnership: the focus on the challenges and opportunities that exist within Iowa’s farms and fields.
About the Iowa Soybean Research Center The Iowa Soybean Research Center was founded by ISU and ISA to bring ISU researchers, industry and farmers together to guide soybean production and research priorities. “Bringing the different perspectives to the same table allows researchers to hear directly from farmers and their priorities, and similarly with industry,” says Christie Wiebbecke, ISA chief officer of research and conservation. These relationships also mean the ability to build collaborative teams focused
on soybean-specific research projects. “This gives Iowa soybean farmers a direct conduit to ISU researchers, and researchers are then encouraged to work together to develop projects that will answer the farmers’ questions that have been a direct result of those conversations,” says Wiebbecke. Daren Mueller, ISU professor and Extension plant pathologist, considers this relationship a “luxury.” “There are a lot of states that don’t get this type of support,” says Mueller. “Having this relationship with the Iowa Soybean Association gives us a clear snapshot of soybean farmers’ questions so we know where our focus should be for research projects.”
Collaborating through fungicide trials ISA and ISU have worked together for more than a decade on researching fungicides in small plot and on-farm trials. Continued on Pg. 24
22 | FEBRUARY 2024 | IASOYBEANS.COM
“Having this relationship with the Iowa Soybean Association gives us a clear snapshot of soybean farmers’ questions so we know where our focus should be for research projects.” Daren Mueller, ISU professor and extension plant pathologist
