SPRING 2025
Vol. 12, No. 4
SOY FACES
Farmer Actions Support Pollinators
SOY FORWARD
RNAi Technology and Soybean Pests
ISSUE UPDATE
Where Do Food Aid Programs Fit Now?
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
ASA Partners and Pollinator Initiatives
SOY FACES
Farmer Actions Support Pollinators
SOY FORWARD
RNAi Technology and Soybean Pests
ISSUE UPDATE
Where Do Food Aid Programs Fit Now?
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
ASA Partners and Pollinator Initiatives
Protecting Monarchs
& Other Pollinators
Protecting Monarchs
& Other Pollinators
2 I SPRING 2025 I American Soybean
FARMER FORUM:
Building Your Conservation Program
and Profit Potential
JOIN US for an afternoon of learning and engagement prior
to the Farm Progress Show!
Learn about conservation program offerings
Speak with technicians and crop advisors
Network with other farmers and industry leaders
Discuss current events and how they impact your conservation program
Mt. Zion Convention Center
1400 Mt. Zion Parkway
Mt. Zion, IL 62549
Monday, August 25, 2025
Program: 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Reception: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
FARMERS RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION TO THE FARM PROGRESS SHOW!
Attend the ASA Farmer Forum and receive a complimentary day pass to the
Farm Progress Show, August 26–28, in nearby Decatur, IL.
SPRING 2025 I American Soybean I 3
10
COVER STORY
Protecting the
Monarch’s Reign:
Soybean farmers support efforts to protect
monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
16
SPOTLIGHT ON
SOY POLICY
How ASA is shaping the future of
farming through policy work. This issue features
biotechnology, biofuels and trade.
27
SOY FACES
Find out how two soybean
farmers from South Dakota
and Georgia are supporting pollinator habitats
30
SOY FORWARD
Bio-based RNAi technology
currently used on the potato
beetle could target soybean pests.
FEATURES
CONTENTS
VOL 12, NO 4 SPRING 2025
Publisher Jill Wagenblast
Associate Publisher/Marketing Wendy Brannen
Editorial Director Wendy Brannen
Managing Editor Jordan Bright
Sponsorship/Ad Sales Michelle Hummel,
Erin Glarner
Graphic Designer Andrea McCoy
Contributing Photographers Charles
Atkinson, Allison Jenkins, Dr. Russ Groves
Contributing Writers Nate Birt, Virginia
Houston, Allison Jenkins, Rob McLean,
Jody Shee
ASA Staf Leadership
American Soybean Association
Stephen Censky, Chief Executive Ofcer
World Initiative for Soy in Human Health
Gena Perry, Executive Director
ASA Farmer-Leaders
President: Caleb Ragland, Magnolia, Ky.
Vice President: Scott Metzger, Williamsport, Ohio
Chairman: Josh Gackle, Kulm, N.D.
04 ASA LEADERSHIP CORNER Comments from ASA
President Caleb Ragland.
05 SOY NEWS Growers are seeing greater gains with
soybean cyst nematode programs and active management.
06 ASA IN ACTION ASA leaders provide testimony
before the Senate Ag Committee about the farm bill
and before the U.S. Trade Representative about China’s
maritime and shipbuilding dominance; and soy farmer-
leaders meet in Washington, D.C. for ASA’s
March Board Meeting and Hill Visits.
Copyright © 2025 by American Soybean Association.
All rights reserved.
BEANS &
BUTTERFLIES
10
CORRECTION:
In the winter 2025 issue of American Soybean, on page
22, in the quote from Doug Monson, director of public
relations, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, we
mistakenly identified MSGA as Missouri Soybean Growers
Association when it should have been Minnesota
Soybean Growers Association. We apologize for the error.
Facebook.com/American
SoybeanAssociation
Twitter.com/ASA_Soybeans
AmericanSoybeanAssociation
American Soybean is published quarterly
by the American Soybean Association,
12647 Olive Blvd., Suite 410, Creve Coeur,
MO 63141. Phone: 314.576.1770.
SoyGrowers.com
The American Soybean Association (ASA) represents
U.S. soybean farmers on domestic and international
policy issues important to the soybean industry.
ASA has 26 afliated state associations representing
30 states and nearly 500,000 soybean farmers.
14 COMMODITY CLASSIC Photo highlights from 2025
Commodity Classic in Denver, Colorado.
19 ISSUE UPDATE Soy is a critical product in international
food assistance programs, but with the dissolution of USAID
where do food aid programs go now?
20 INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE Find out how some of ASA’s
industry partners are working to protect pollinators.
28 SOY WORLD Now in its 25th year, ASA’s World Initiative
for Soy in Human Health program continues to
invest in partnerships that build lasting demand.
4 I SPRING 2025 I American Soybean
ASA
leadership
corner
How often do we start articles,
company reports, and even church
bulletins with “X year started out with
a bang?” Well, if those years started
with a bang, 2025 started with a
barge full of 4th of July fireworks
colliding with a jet fuel tanker.
In many ways, what’s old
seems new again—Donald Trump
in office, China tariffs, negotiations
with Mexico and Canada, not to
mention concerns over small refinery
exemptions to the RFS, budget
resolution back-and-forth, and the
fight to beat the clock on funding the
federal government—plus still trying
to pass a farm bill! Even WOTUS is
back under the gun.
Then there’s the actual new,
including of course (because we’re
talking about news out of D.C.) lots
of acronyms! DOGE, MAHA and,
while not an acronym, even OZ (as in
Dr. Oz, whose nomination to run the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, as of this writing, had
advanced to the full Senate).
With RFK, Jr. leading the
Department of Health and Human
Services, we are concerned over
the plans of the Make America
Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission,
including their impact on seed oils,
pesticide use and biotechnology.
ASA recently led a letter signed by
over 300 organizations to health,
agriculture and environmental
leaders in D.C. calling for sound
science and data to be used by
the commission in its evaluations
of products essential to food and
agriculture.
Another new concern stems
not from MAHA but from DOGE,
or the Department of Government
Efficiency: Funding freezes or
elimination of USDA programs like
Climate-Smart Commodities and
EQIP, along with USAID and food aid.
These abrupt changes have placed
soy in the spotlight these past few
weeks, and more importantly, left
many farmers looking for answers—
and money owed them under those
contracts. Again, ASA has been on
the Hill and in the media voicing soy’s
concerns and seeking resolutions.
Like a bride, we’ve had our
share of “something old” and
“something new” when it comes to
issues this year, and yes, we’ve also
had “something borrowed” and
“something blue.” Similar to 2018, we
have borrowed trouble in the form
of the “T-word,” or tariffs. Trump
has enacted or shared plans to
enact tariffs against key U.S. trading
partners. The results? As of this
writing, China has retaliated with a
10% tariff on U.S. soy exports. Canada
plans to impose 25% tariffs over two
tranches, and Mexico has also vowed
to retaliate. U.S. whole beans, meal
and oil are on Canada’s potential
round-two retaliation list. And,
following President Trump declaring
25% steel and aluminum tariffs on
all U.S. trading partners, the EU
released a potential strike list,
including whole beans.
All this old, new and borrowed
can make a soybean farmer blue! We
are rightfully concerned. It is a tough
time for those of us in agriculture
and our rural communities right now.
Prices are high and margins are thin.
Market volatility is already leading
to job cuts and other consequences.
Now more than ever, the advocacy
work of ASA—and your support of
both us and your soy state affiliates—
is critical. I can’t share all our wins
on top of the woes here, but trust
me, they, too, are many—and those
wins come through your support, our
collective grassroots advocacy, and
the efforts of strong ASA staff who
work daily on our behalf.
After more than 100 years, ASA
is still here to put out those issue
fires, lessen the blow of those policy
bombs and keep the noise down in
D.C. when it comes to new and old
topics that hurt soy. Rather than an
atomic-sized explosion of issues, let’s
instead make 2025 a whiz-bang year
of wins—and save the fireworks for
the holidays!
Caleb Ragland, ASA President
CalebRAGLAND
SPRING 2025 I American Soybean I 5
NEWS
soy
Growers See Greater Gains with SCN Programs
and Active Management
Quantitative research funded by the United Soybean Board
reveals The SCN Coalition increased awareness and adoption
of active soybean cyst nematode management over the
last 10 years, resulting in up to 20% more soybean farmers
actively managing SCN.
With the overuse of PI 88788, used in 95% of SCN-
resistant soybean varieties, SCN resistance has increased
and so has the need to diversify sources of genetic SCN
resistance and management strategies.
The 2024 study found:
• 27% of farmers said they were soil sampling for
SCN, a 50% rise since 2015.
• 56% of farmers said they were rotating sources of
genetic SCN resistance, a 43% increase since 2015.
• 27% of farmers identified Peking as a source of
SCN resistance, an 80% increase since 2015.
• 42% of farmers said they use a nematode-protectant
seed treatment, an 80% increase since 2015.
This is considerable growth, says USB Director and Arkansas
soybean farmer Robert Petter, who is also the Health &
Nutrition Supply Work Group Chair. “The study is proving
that this effort between public and private partners to
disseminate this message to farmers is working,” Petter
added. “The SCN Coalition and its partners are helping elicit
change in the soybean industry at a rapid pace.”
Along with growth in farmer awareness and active
management, the perceived yield loss of SCN also increased.
In 2020, farmers surveyed thought SCN reduced soybean
yield by 5.1 bushels per acre. In 2024, this perception rose
to 5.4 bushels per acre.
While this signals increased awareness of the SCN
resistance problem, it also demonstrates a lack of
understanding of the larger impact this pest can have
on soybean yields.
Data from 15 years of variety trials in farmers’ fields in
Iowa reveals SCN’s increased reproduction on PI 88788 can
decrease yield by as much as 14 bushels per acre, which
represents a 23% yield loss.
“While we’re seeing more farmers better understand
this pest and invest in protecting their soybean crop, our
work is not complete,” says North Central Soybean Research
Program Executive Director Ed Anderson. “We’re continuing
to identify new resistance genes, strategies and tools that
can provide soybean farmers longer-term solutions.”
In tandem with public and private partners, The
SCN Coalition used data collected from 25,000-plus
university research plots with SCN-resistant soybeans to
create a simple way for farmers to develop an active SCN
management plan—the SCN Profit Checker.
Putting the pest on center stage, the SCN Profit Checker
uses the farmer’s field information to provide a customized
estimate of the pest’s yield and profit loss. Since its launch
in 2023, the SCN Profit Checker has calculated yield loss for
thousands of farmers. Surveyed farmers who were aware
of the calculator estimated their average yield loss at 19%,
equating to a $70 per acre loss.
University of Nebraska Plant Pathologist Dylan Mangel
emphasizes the importance of equipping soybean farmers
with the research and tools they need to succeed. “With
research-backed tools like the SCN Profit Checker, more
farmers are aware of their soil conditions and are actively
managing SCN than seasons before,” he said.
Horacio Lopez-Nicora, Ohio State University soybean
nematologist, says the impact of The SCN Coalition on the
soybean industry is staggering. “Depending on the level of
SCN reproduction occurring on resistant soybean varieties
in farmers’ fields, up to 23% more yield may have been
recouped by actively managing SCN,” he says. “That translates
into tens of thousands of farmers, millions of acres and
hundreds of millions of dollars back into farmers’ pockets.”
Source: The SCN Coalition
Messaging about
active SCN
management
continues to resonate
with farmers with
significant statistical
growth in all
testing areas.
Visit TheSCNCoalition.com to learn more.
6 I SPRING 2025 I American Soybean
ASA Executive Committee leaders and the CEO met
with EPA ofcials during the association’s annual
spring board meeting and Hill visits. Pictured:
Scott Metzger, ASA vice president; Dave Walton,
ASA treasurer; Venus Welch-White, EPA Ofce of
Agriculture and Rural Afairs, acting director; Caleb
Ragland, ASA president; Josh Gackle, ASA chairman;
and Stephen Censky, ASA CEO.
ASA
in
EPA MEETING
Members of the 41st class of ASA Corteva Agriscience Young Leaders completed their training in Denver in conjunction with the 2025
Commodity Classic convention and trade show. The 2025 class of Young Leaders includes: Tyler Robertson (CAN); Brian & Heather
Harrison (AL); Luke Nannemann (AR); Daniel Herriott (IL); Neil & Sandy Krummen (IA); Jason & Anna Unruh (KS); Cody & Riley Clift
(KY); Grant Mackey (KY); John Paul & Sarah VanMol (LA); Zachary Schafner (MI); Rebecca Sip (MN); Raymond DeMars (MN); Gentry
& Sarah Clark (MS); Rhonda & Orland Oesch (MO); Catherine & Jacob Frerichs (NE); Travis Runge and Jennifer Alexander (NE);
Donald Stokes (NC); Mark Knutson (ND); Billie Lentz & Tran Zerface (ND); Caden Arbaugh (OH); Matt & Ashley Lutz (OH); Austin
Eaddy & Bailee Matthews (SC); Blake & Mica Foxley (SD); and Brad Sennhenn & Kayla Weiner (WI).
2025 YOUNG LEADERS
action
SPRING 2025 I American Soybean I 7
ASA Director Teresa
Brandenburg (KS) attended
a roundtable discussion with
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Brooke Rollins, Sen. Roger
Marshall and Rep. Tracey Mann
at High Plains Ponderosa Dairy
in Plains, KS. Brandenburg and
other producers discussed the
challenges and opportunities
shaping the agriculture
industry, sharing insights
on the current economic
landscape, regulatory concerns
and disaster assistance.
In March, ASA leaders and staf visited the White House to discuss championing U.S.
agriculture. From left: Alexa Combelic, ASA executive director of government afairs; Scott
Metzger, ASA vice president; Josh Gackle, ASA chairman; Caleb Ragland, ASA president;
and Virginia Houston, ASA director of government afairs.
CHAMPIONING AG
AG ROUNDTABLE
ASA President Caleb Ragland (KY)
(right) and ASA Chairman Josh Gackle
(ND) (left) visited with Senate Ag
Committee Ranking Member Amy
Klobuchar (center) and Chairman John
Boozman (not pictured) in January.
They discussed priority issues for soy
growers, including passage of a new and
improved farm bill.
SENATE AG COMMITTEE
Minnesota soybean grower-leaders Jefrey Sorenson (left),
George Goblish (second from right) and Bob Worth (right)
speak with Sen. Tina Smith’s staf during March Hill visits.
Top-of-mind issues were the farm economy, farm bill, disaster
assistance, tarifs and trade, U.S. shipbuilding, biofuels and
many other ag policy issues.
MINNESOTA
HILL VISIT
8 I SPRING 2025 I American Soybean
ASA
in
action
In January, ASA CEO Stephen
Censky (second from right) joined
a bipartisan panel discussion
on Capitol Hill focused on the
need for increased investment
in agricultural research and
development. The event,
“Agricultural R&D Moonshot:
Bolstering U.S. National Security,”
highlighted the importance of
innovative research to strengthen
U.S. leadership in agriculture
and address global food security
challenges. Photo Credit: Farm
Journal Foundation
The ASA Action Partnership met
in Washington, D.C., after the
ASA Board of Directors meeting
to discuss how initiatives of
the new administration will
impact agriculture. The forum is
an opportunity for ASA’s state
afliates, state and national
checkof organizations, industry
partners and national grower
leaders to engage in critical
industry-focused dialogue.
In his Feb. 5 testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee,
ASA Chairman Josh Gackle (ND) emphasized the need for a
comprehensive five-year farm bill and urgent action on
economic challenges facing U.S. soybean farmers. He warned
that potential tarifs and trade uncertainty, particularly with
key export partners, threaten global market access.
FARM BILL
TESTIMONY
RESEARCH INVESTMENT
ASA ACTION
PARTNERSHIP
SPRING 2025 I American Soybean I 9
ASA’s Conservation Champions gathered in
Washington, D.C., in March to discuss pressing
issues related to conservation and participate
in educational sessions and the ASA Soy Issues
Forum. Champions in attendance: Charles
Atkinson (KS), Andy Bensend (WI), Brad Doyle
(AR), Shannon Ellis (VA), Jake Kaderly (WI),
Jim Martin (IL), Danny Murphy (MS), Grier
Stayton (DE), Richard Wilkins (DE) and LaVell
Winsor (KS). The program is sponsored by
Bayer, the Walton Family Foundation and the
United Soybean Board/Soy Checkof. Pictured:
Champions visit with ofcials at USDA NRCS.
The ASA Innovation-to-Market (I2M) Work Group met Jan. 29-30 in Arlington,
Virginia. The group’s mission is to facilitate the domestic and international
introduction, commercialization and market acceptance of new innovations
in seed and crop protection products. I2M Work Group members include
manufacturers of seed and crop protection products and farmer-leaders
and staf from ASA, USB, USSEC and state soy organizations.
ASA Director Mike Koehne (IN)
testified before the United States Trade
Representative on the ofce’s Section
301 investigation into China’s targeting of
the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding
sectors for dominance.
CONSERVATION CHAMPIONS
SHIPBUILDING
TESTIMONY
I2M GROUP MEETING
10 I SPRING 2025 I American Soybean
BEANS AND
BUTTERFLIES
There’s a theory fluttering about in
both science and popular culture
called the “butterfly effect,” the
idea that small, seemingly trivial
events may ultimately result in
something with much larger
consequences. For example, if a
butterfly flaps its wings in India,
theoretically that tiny change
in air pressure could eventually
cause a tornado in Iowa.
The concept was proposed in
the 1960s by Edward Lorenz, a
meteorologist who was studying
weather patterns. In trying to
devise predictive models, he
determined that long-range
forecasting was virtually impossible.
In nature’s incredible complexity,
there are simply too many
variables and interconnections.
Farmers and conservationists
are literally dealing with a butterfly
effect right now when it comes
to the dwindling population of
monarchs. The iconic orange-and-
black butterflies annually travel
through the heart of soybean
country on a remarkable 3,000-
mile migration from Mexico to
Canada. Their numbers have
plummeted by an estimated
80% since the 1990s, a decrease
attributed to many factors that
include drought, lack of nectar
resources and habitat loss,
particularly milkweed, the monarch
caterpillar’s sole food source.
The monarch population has
now reached a level that scientists
say is unsustainable unless the
trend reverses. In response, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has
recommended protection under
the Endangered Species Act, which
would prohibit actions that could
harm the butterfly or its habitat.
The decision could have
far-reaching consequences
for the agricultural industry,
particularly in land-use
practices, pesticide regulations
and crop management, says
Shelby Hagenauer, American
Farm Bureau senior director
of government affairs and the
agency’s ESA lead.
“Pollinators, and particularly
monarchs, are a part of our lives,”
Hagenauer says. “Farmers support
this species and want it to thrive.
But we also need to make sure
that regulations are practical, and
that agriculture continues to be
robust so we can provide food,
clothing and fuel for our country
and the world.”
The monarch’s plight draws
attention to the interdependence
of pollinators and agriculture
and underscores the need for
conservation efforts that engage
landowners, conservationists
and policymakers alike, says
Kyle Kunkler, American Soybean
Association senior director of
government affairs.
“Monarchs have the potential
to change everything,” Kunkler
says. “They’re beautiful,
they’re well loved, and they’re
everywhere. The good news is we
think there is a way to have this
conversation about an ESA listing
decision that would not disrupt
agriculture and work for monarchs
at the same time.”
Feedback needed
Keeping the monarch off the
By Allison Jenkins
Farmers support eforts
to protect the monarch’s reign
Photo credit: Allison Jenkins