ISA » Profitability » Educational Research

How does the Illinois soybean industry benefit from checkoff-funded research?

When ISA helps fund soybean research, we're not only supporting efforts to increase yields and overall profitability... we're providing invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for tomorrow's soybean experts.

To accomplish these objectives, ISA targets specific production problems that are referred to as managed research areas, or MRAs. ISA leaders carefully monitor these investments to ensure each MRA delivers value to Illinois soybean farmers.

MRAs currently encompass five priority areas: soybean germplasm and breeding, soybean diseases and insect pests (including soybean cyst nematode), weeds, the Varietal Information Program for Soybeans (or VIPS), and yield and profitability. Research projects in each of these areas may be annual projects or multi-year projects involving several universities.

Researchers at the state's four ag schools -- Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Western Illinois University -- work with growers, advisors and select students on ISA research projects, which are chosen based on grower priorities.

Since Illinois comprises eight different soil types and four different maturity group zones, production research is customized to the varied growing conditions. Plus, a network of 13 test fields and 40 sentinel plots covers the state, giving researchers and students access to data that is unique to each region to better assist growers statewide.

Soybean growers and industry stakeholders are kept informed about ongoing and completed Illinois soybean checkoff-funded research projects in a variety of ways:

• ISA's annual research report details how research dollars were spent throughout that year and includes project status updates and suggestions for future research needs.
• Traditionally, ISA has hosted an annual summer research tour that provided a firsthand look at the latest research, giving attendees an opportunity to interact with the researchers who worked on the various studies being highlighted.
• In 2012, ISA is shifting our focus to a one-day Soy College that will showcase the latest tactics and strategies for increasing soybean yields. More information about Soy College will be available in late April.

For more information on current soybean research projects and other Illinois farmer programs, browse through our resource library for up-to-date press releases, research roundup pieces and various production brochures. We also encourage you to get to know our researchers as well as some of the ISA Soy Scholars who are taking part in these research projects.

To find out more about ISA's research partners, please visit the sites below:

• Illinois State University - Department of Agriculture
• National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) at the University of Illinois
• North Central Soybean Research Program
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale - Illinois Soybean Center
• University of Illinois - College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
• Western Illinois University - School of Agriculture