Next-Gen Illinois Farmers 2.0
JUNE 2026 | VOLUME 6, ISSUE 8
Hear from ISA District Director, Ryan Frieders, who answered the call to serve and encourages other growers to do the same.
By Ryan Frieders, District 1 Director
For many farm families, succession planning is often viewed through a financial or legal lens — estate plans, ownership transitions and tax strategies. But for fifth-generation Illinois farmer Rob Sharkey, the most critical piece of the puzzle isn’t found in paperwork. It’s found in conversation.
By IL Field & Bean Team
As Pioneer celebrates a century of innovation, its farmer-centered Long Look philosophy continues to guide emerging products for ag.
By Don Kyle, Evaluation Zone Lead and Soybean Breeder, Pioneer
Read more about your Illinois Soybean Association's project highlights, program developments and what's ahead in the FY24 Year End Report.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Rising costs on inputs like feed, fertilizers, fuel and labor, along with higher insurance premiums and inflated equipment prices, can make it difficult for farmers to make a profit. So what's a farmer to do?
By IL Field & Bean Team
For 50 years, NASA has helped farmers to boldly grow, bringing you innovations designed for space exploration that translate to field exploration.
By IL Field & Bean Team
The 2025 Soybean Summit is an expanded, two-day event designed to provide Illinois farmers with timely updates on a number of issues. Step inside!
By IL Field & Bean Team
Queen of the Field Meal, Deanne Frieders shares some of her favorite farmhouse holiday recipes.
By IL Field & Bean Team
We're exploring the ways Illinois growers can maximize crop potential with next-generation biostimulants.
By Valent BioSciences
Join us for the 2026 Field Advisor Forum on Thursday, January 16, at the Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois in Urbana.
By Kelsey Litchfield, ISA Agronomic Outreach Manager/Editor, Field Advisor
ISA's new Agronomy Farm is a nearly 98-acre site designed to turn checkoff-funded research into practical, field-ready insights for Illinois farmers.
By Abigail Peterson, CCA, ISA Director of Agronomy
Illinois Soy Envoy Byron Hendrix, CCA, reviews how farmers can access financial support for conservation practices on their operations.
By Byron Hendrix, CCA, IL Soy Envoy
Within the 20 agronomic research projects funded by ISA in FY26, one priority continues to stand out: conservation.
By Ashley Rice-Haddon, Lead Writer, Illinois Field & Bean Magazine
Participants in the On-Farm Trial Network provide key insights into how management decisions affect productivity and profitability.
By Darby Danzl, ISA Regional Technical Agronomist, and Stacy Zuber, Ph.D., ISA Research Data Scientist
Through the See for Yourself 2025 program, participants saw firsthand how checkoff investments open international doors for U.S. soy, supporting profit-ability back home.
By Johnathan Griffel, 2024 20 Under 40 Farmer
Learn more about the iFAB Tech Hub at the University of Illinois and how its team is harnessing the power of corn and soy to create sustainable, high-value products.
By Olivia Key, Field & Bean Magazine Assistant Editor
As it celebrates its one-year anniversary, the ISA Soy Innovation Center is dedicated to facilitating the research and commercialization of new and innovative soy-based products with a focus on three primary categories: textiles, bio-lubricants and industrial applications.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Did you know soy can be used to replace nearly any product made from petroleum—including plastics? Soy-based plastics offer a nontoxic alternative to everyday items, contributing to sustainability and representing an exciting opportunity to drive demand for Illinois soy.
By Dylan Karis, Lead Chemist, Airable Research Lab
Learn more about an emerging partnership between ISA and the Peoria-based National Center for Agricultural Utilization, a 270,000-sq.-ft. research facility that employs nearly 200 people including 75 Ph.D. scientists.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Less than two years since its launch, this program boasts more than 63 Sustainably Certified products, each of which must meet the standards outlined by the USDA’s BioPreferred® Program.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Discover the many ways the Illinois Soybean Association has spent the last 60 years advancing biofuels, infrastructure and waterways transportation, and critical agronomic research - and what soybean farmers can expect in the coming years.
By IL Field & Bean Team
Hear from Stephen Censky, Chief Executive Officer of the American Soybean Association, about the ways ASA, ISA and other groups are working together to protect your farming freedoms.
By Stephen Censky
Get to know your ISA Government Relations Team, which is dedicated to advocating ...
By Olivia Key
Illinois Field & Bean Magazine spoke with select federal and state legislators ...
By IL Field & Bean Team
Jonathan Coppess of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign guest authors this perspective on the Farm Bill's impasse and the unlikelihood for reauthorization this year.
By Jonathan Coppess
The challenges farmers face every single day are tedious and time-consuming.
By IL Field & Bean Team